whimbrel


whim·brel

W5123000 (wĭm′brəl, hwĭm′-)n. A grayish-brown migratory shorebird (Numenius phaeopus) that breeds primarily in subarctic regions and has a long, downward-curving bill.
[Perhaps alteration of whimper (from its cry).]

whimbrel

(ˈwɪmbrəl) n (Animals) a small European curlew, Numenius phaeopus, with a striped head[C16: from dialect whimp or from whimper, alluding to its cry]

whim•brel

(ˈʰwɪm brəl, ˈwɪm-)

n. a curlew, Numenius phaeopus, of both the New and Old Worlds. [1520–30; orig. uncertain]
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