swiftlet
any of several swifts of the genus Collocalia, of southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and Australia, certain species of which use saliva to construct nests, which are used in making bird's-nest soup.
Origin of swiftlet
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How to use swiftlet in a sentence
One swiftlet is world-famous on account of its saliva-built nest, which is the edible swallows' nest we used to read about.
An Australian Bird Book | John Albert LeachThe edible-nest swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) is the commonest swift on the Nilgiris.
Birds of the Indian Hills | Douglas Dewar
British Dictionary definitions for swiftlet
/ (ˈswɪftlɪt) /
any of various small swifts of the Asian genus Collocalia that often live in caves and use echolocation: the nests, which are made of hardened saliva, are used in oriental cookery to make birds' nest soup
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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