greben.
/ɡriːb/, U.S. /ɡrib/ 1. The name for the diving birds of the genus Podiceps or family Podicipedidæ, characterized by a short body, flattened and lobed feet set far behind, and the almost entire absence of tail. great crested grebe n. (also crested grebe) the largest European species, Podiceps cristatus. eared grebe n. P. nigricollis. Slavonian grebe n. (or horned grebe) P. auritus (or cornutus). spear-billed grebe n. or western grebe n. the Æchmophorus occidentalis of North America.
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the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > [noun] > order Podicipediformes (grebes) > member of (grebe)
grebe1768
puffer1773
the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > [noun] > order Podicipediformes (grebes) > podiceps cristatus (crested grebe)
cargoose1677
loon1678
water witch1709
great crested grebe1873
muffler1889
1768 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) II. ii. 393 (note) The Grebes and Divers are placed in the same genus.
1773 Gentleman's Mag. 43 219 The crested Griebe.
1814 P. Hawker Diary (1893) I. 92 I got..18 ox-birds and 1 dusky grebe.
1863 Spring Lapland 36 I fancy they confounded it [the smew] with the red-necked grebe.
1863 S. Baring-Gould Iceland 327 Neither M. Preyer nor Mr. Fowler found the little grebe in the island.
1873 G. C. Davies Mountain, Meadow & Mere iii. 18 That upright, stick-like object moving along the surface is the neck and head of a great crested grebe, swimming low in the water to escape observation.
2. The plumage of the grebe.
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the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > [noun] > order Podicipediformes (grebes) > member of (grebe) > plumage of
grebe1859
1859 W. H. Gregory Egypt I. 260 I secured the pad of the breast, which was as soft as grebe.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 26 Oct. 3/2 I want everybody who owns a brown cloth costume to trim it with grebe.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
grebe-feathers n.
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1781 S. E. Burney Let. in F. Burney Early Diary (1889) II. 267 Part of the trimming is composed of greb feathers.
grebe-hat n.
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1885 Daily Tel. 22 Dec. 6/2 Protective Acts have almost banished from the markets the sea-gull and grebe hats which were once so common.
grebe-muff n.
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1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 9 Aug. 5/1 Some years ago, when grebe muffs were ‘the rage’, that rage nearly extinguished a beautiful race of birds.
grebe-plumage n.
grebe-skin n.
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1781 H. L. Thrale Let. 11 Jan. in F. Burney Early Jrnls. & Lett. (2003) IV. 270 The [dress]..is to be trimmed with Grebeskins & Gold.
1882 E. O'Donovan Merv Oasis I. 312 Here, at all times of the day, hemp, silk, cotton, tobacco, and grebe skins are to be seen.
C2.
grebe-cloth n. a cotton cloth with a downy surface on one side.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > with nap
swan's-down1801
Turkish towel1862
grebe-cloth1882
winceyette1922
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 226/2 Grebe Cloth. A cotton cloth, made very much in the style of Swanskin.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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