# bird

Pronunciation: say "BURD" US /bɜɹd/, UK /bɜːd/

## Noun

1. A warm-blooded, feathered animal with wings and a beaked mouth that lays eggs and is usually able to fly.
   - Simple: An animal with feathers, wings and a beak that lays eggs and can usually fly.
   - _The bird built its nest in the fork of the oak tree._
   - _Ornithologists study how birds migrate across continents each year._
3. A chicken or turkey prepared and served as food. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A chicken or turkey that is cooked and eaten.
   - _The chef stuffed the bird with herbs before roasting it._
   - _Once the bird reaches the right temperature, let it rest before carving._
4. A vulgar hand gesture made by extending the middle finger to express contempt or anger.
   - Simple: A rude hand gesture made by holding up the middle finger.
   - _Caught on camera, the player flipped the bird at the jeering crowd._
   - _Flipping someone the bird in traffic can escalate a minor dispute._
5. A young woman, or a man's girlfriend. *(colloquial, Ireland, UK)*
   - Simple: In British slang, a young woman or a man's girlfriend. Some people find it rude.
   - _There's a gorgeous bird working behind the bar tonight._
   - _My cousin in Leeds is bringing his new bird to the wedding, so save a seat for her too._
6. An aircraft, especially a plane or helicopter. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An aircraft, such as a plane or helicopter.
   - _Ground crew refueled the bird before its next flight._
   - _The squadron lost two birds during the mission._
7. The shuttlecock that badminton players hit back and forth over the net. *(colloquial, North American)*
   - Simple: The light object, made of feathers or plastic, that players hit over the net in badminton.
   - _She let the bird drop just over the net, and her opponent couldn't reach it._
   - _The gym teacher handed out rackets and a tube of plastic birds._
8. A man; a fellow. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A man or fellow.
   - _My grandfather is a wise old bird, and he spotted the scam before any of us did._
   - _He's a tough bird who never backs down from a fight._
11. An artificial satellite orbiting the Earth. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A machine sent into space to go around the Earth, such as one that carries TV signals.
   - _The network booked time on a different bird after the transponder failed._
   - _Two birds went silent when the solar storm hit._
12. A hostile chorus of boos and jeers, typically from an audience showing displeasure with a performer. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Loud booing and jeering from an unhappy audience.
   - _The struggling band got the bird from a restless festival crowd._
   - _She got the bird the moment she forgot her lines._
14. A prison sentence, or time spent in prison. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: Time spent in prison.
   - _He'd done enough bird to know every routine of the prison day._
   - _Three more months of bird and he would finally be free._
15. A kilogram of cocaine. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: One kilogram of the drug cocaine.
   - _On the recording, the dealer promised he could get them another bird of cocaine by the end of the week._
   - _The dealer bragged that he moved ten birds of coke a month through the warehouse._
16. The penis. *(slang, Canada, Philippines)*
   - Simple: A man's penis.
   - _He caught his bird in his zipper and yelled in pain._
   - _The streaker sprinted across the field with his bird out for all to see._
17. A convict, especially one assigned to manual labor in a prison yard.
   - Simple: A prisoner, especially one who does outdoor work around a prison yard.

## Verb

2. To observe or identify wild birds in their natural surroundings.
   - Simple: To watch and identify wild birds out in nature.
   - _Every spring, enthusiasts bird in the wetlands hoping to spot rare migrants._
   - _She birded for years before recording her hundredth species._
10. To catch, shoot, or hunt birds.
   - Simple: To hunt, catch, or shoot birds.
18. To transmit a signal or broadcast by way of a satellite.
   - Simple: To send a TV or radio signal up to a satellite and back down to the ground.
   - _Field units bird their feeds to the network hub for redistribution._
   - _The producer birded the press conference to three continents at once._
19. To go in search of game or plunder; to thieve.
   - Simple: To hunt around for things to steal or take.
20. To send or commit a person to prison. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To put someone into prison.

## Adjective

13. Easily passed with very little effort, said of an academic course. *(colloquial, Canada)*
   - Simple: So easy that you can pass with little work, said of a school or university course.
   - _He padded his schedule with a couple of bird electives to protect his average._
   - _The intro class had a reputation as a bird course among second-years._

## Noun

9. A chicken; the young of a fowl, such as a nestling or a young eaglet. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A baby bird, such as a young chicken or a chick still in its nest.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–19** — From Middle English bird or brid, from Old English bridd ("chick, fledgling"), of uncertain origin, which took over from fowl as the everyday word for birds from the 14th century. The booing and rude-gesture senses go back to the old phrase give the big bird, which likened an audience's hissing to a goose's.
**Meaning 20** — It started as Cockney rhyming slang: bird-lime rhymes with "time," and the phrase was cut down to bird.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bird (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).