This week’s theme
Bird words

This week’s words
gannet
snipe
dodo
magpie
dotterel

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(MAG-py)

MEANING:

noun:
1. Any of various birds, typically having a long tail and black-and-white plumage; also various other birds that resemble a magpie.
2. A chatterer.
3. A person who indiscriminately collects things, especially things of little value.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Mag (a nickname for Margaret) + pie (magpie), from Latin pica (magpie). The use of the name Mag is from the stereotypical association of women with chattering. Magpies have a (rather undeserved) reputation for chattering and hoarding, but they are some of the most intelligent animals. Two other words coined after them are pied and pica. Earliest documented use: 1589.

USAGE:

“Where Forrest is spare with his words, Mayorga is a magpie.”
Steve Hummer; Brash, Swaggering and Hungry ‘El Matador’ is Ready for Forrest Rematch; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia); Jul 10, 2003.

“I’ve recently started collecting china teacups and teapots. I don’t use them, but just keep them in a cabinet. I’m a bit of a magpie.”
The World of Amanda Abbington, Actress; Telegraph Magazine (London, UK); Sep 19, 2015.

See more usage examples of magpie in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: