canary Hear it!

canary definition

ca·nary (kə ner′ē)

noun pl. canaries -·nar′·ies

  1. a small, yellow finch (Serinus canaria) native to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores
  2. canary yellow
  3. a fortified wine similar to Madeira, made in the Canary Islands
  4. a lively 16th-cent. Spanish or French court dance
  5. Slang a squealer; informer

Etymology: Fr canarie < Sp canario < L Canaria (insula), Canary (island), lit., island of dogs < canis dog (see hound): so called from its large dogs

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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