Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Perching or adapted for perching.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the Insessores; habitually perching, as a bird; suited for perching, as a bird's foot.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Zoöl.) Pertaining to, or having the character of, perching birds.
  • adjective Belonging or pertaining to the Insessores.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective pertaining to a member of the Order Insessores, or perching birds; perching or designed for perching

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From New Latin Īnsessōrēs, the perchers (former order name), from Latin īnsessus, past participle of īnsidēre, to sit upon; see insidious.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From modern Latin Insessores ‘perchers’, from Latin insidere ‘sit upon’, from in- + sedere ‘sit’.

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Examples

  • "built their nests" in the tree: the Greek word has no such meaning; the word merely means "to settle or rest upon" anything for a longer or shorter time; nor is there any occasion to suppose that the expression "fowls of the air" denotes any other than the smaller insessorial kinds -- linnets, finches, etc.

    Smith's Bible Dictionary 1884

Comments

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  • Adapted for perching, as a bird's foot; habitually perching; of or pertaining to birds that perch.

    May 31, 2007