Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A bird of the genus Phalænoptilus, as P. nuttalli: so called from its characteristic dissyllabic note.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A bird of the Western United States (
Phalænoptilus Nutalli ) allied to the whip-poor-will.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun goatsucker of western North America
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Throw in the clinics, and the state-always desperate to expand health care to the poor-will have to say Yes.
300 Doctors in Fight Against Pending Sale of Nose-Job Hospital 1999
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Suddenly a poor-will lit on the floor beside me and stayed some little time; now and then uttering its mournful cries, then ceasing for a few moments as it flitted round after insects, and again returning to the same place to begin anew.
The Home Range 1896
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Just now you should be in such cool mistiness, while you should be hearing a hermit thrush sing vespers, a cedar bird call, and a whip - poor-will cry.
Michael O'Halloran Gene Stratton-Porter 1893
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To safeguard against that outcome, the report authors recommend that countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide more eco-friendly methods to farmers and workers, and come up with plans to make sure those most vulnerable to climate change-especially the poor-will retain rights and The Maldives, a low-slung island country especially threatened by climate change's rising tides, has already heeded previous similar advice and pledged to go carbon neutral by 2020.
Scientific American 2009
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