wheatear

[ hweet-eer, weet- ]
/ ˈʰwitˌɪər, ˈwit- /

noun

any of several small, chiefly Old World thrushes of the genus Oenanthe, having a distinctive white rump, especially O. oenanthe, of Eurasia and North America.

Origin of wheatear

1585–95; probably back formation from wheatears, for *whiteers white rump. See white, arse

Words nearby wheatear

wheat cake, wheat germ, wheat pool, wheat ridge, wheat rust, wheatear, wheaten, wheaten terrier, wheatgrass, wheatley, wheatmeal

Example sentences from the Web for wheatear

British Dictionary definitions for wheatear

wheatear
/ (ˈwiːtˌɪə) /

noun

any small northern songbird of the genus Oenanthe, esp O. oenanthe, a species having a pale grey back, black wings and tail, white rump, and pale brown underparts: subfamily Turdinae (thrushes)

Word Origin for wheatear

C16: back formation from wheatears (wrongly taken as plural), probably from white + arse; compare Dutch witstaart, French culblanc white tail