Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of several medium-sized shorebirds of the widely distributed genus Vanellus, having distinctive deep wing beats, especially the northern lapwing.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A plover-like bird with four toes, a crest, and lustrous plumage, belonging to the genus Vanellus and family Charadriidæ.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A small European bird of the Plover family (
Vanellus cristatus , orVanellus vanellus ). It has long and broad wings, and is noted for its rapid, irregular fight, upwards, downwards, and in circles. Its back is coppery or greenish bronze. Its eggs are the “plover's eggs” of the London market, esteemed a delicacy. It is called alsopeewit ,dastard plover , andwype . Thegray lapwing is theSquatarola cinerea .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of several medium-sized
wading birds belonging to the subfamilyVanellinae of the familyCharadriidae . - noun A silly man.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun large crested Old World plover having wattles and spurs
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word lapwing.
Examples
-
The lapwing is a kind of plover, and is very swift of foot.
The Writings of John Burroughs — Volume 05: Pepacton John Burroughs 1879
-
Kibitz The flycatcher (also called lapwing, pewit, and other names) is an insectivorous bird with an irritating cry.
-
a big kind of lapwing and snipe; but the snipe here were cunning, and got up wild and flew far, so I only got a small bag.
-
(March-Cock) from its returning in that month, and our old writers "lapwing" (Deut. xiv.
Arabian nights. English Anonymous 1855
-
This species, which is endemic to marshes and moorlands located in the Ethiopian highlands, is very much like the northern lapwing, V. vanellus, found in Europe: it is a relatively tame, noisy bird with a swerving flight that feeds on the ground, making short runs and sudden stops.
Mystery bird: Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus 2011
-
The spot-breasted lapwing is distinguished from its close relatives by the fleshy wattles in front of its eyes and by its black-spotted breast.
Mystery bird: Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus 2011
-
This species, which is endemic to marshes and moorlands located in the Ethiopian highlands, is very much like the northern lapwing, V. vanellus, found in Europe: it is a relatively tame, noisy bird with a swerving flight that feeds on the ground, making short runs and sudden stops.
Mystery bird: Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus 2011
-
Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus (formerly, Tylibyx melanocephalus and Hoplopterus melanocephalus; protonym, Lobivanellus melanocephalus), also known as the spot-breasted lapwing, photographed at Bale Mountains (also known as the Urgoma Mountains), Ethiopia (Africa).
Mystery bird: Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus 2011
-
The spot-breasted lapwing is distinguished from its close relatives by the fleshy wattles in front of its eyes and by its black-spotted breast.
Mystery bird: Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus 2011
-
Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus (formerly, Tylibyx melanocephalus and Hoplopterus melanocephalus; protonym, Lobivanellus melanocephalus), also known as the spot-breasted lapwing, photographed at Bale Mountains (also known as the Urgoma Mountains), Ethiopia (Africa).
Mystery bird: Spot-breasted plover, Vanellus melanocephalus 2011
ofravens commented on the word lapwing
He names a lapwing, starts rabbits in a rout
legging it most nimble
to sprigged hedge of bramble,
stalks red fox, shrewd stoat
.from "Ode for Ted," Sylvia Plath
April 14, 2008