wren Hear it!

wren Definition

wren (ren)

noun

  1. any of a large family (Troglodytidae) of small, insect-eating passerine birds having a long bill, rounded wings, and a stubby, erect tail; esp., the house wren (Troglodytes aedon), that often nests in birdhouses in North America
  2. any of certain other passerine birds of various families

Etymology: ME wrenne < OE wrenna, prob. akin to OHG rentilo, ON rindill

Wren¹ Definition

Wren (ren)

noun

Informal a member of the (British) Women's Royal Naval Service

Wren² Definition

Wren (ren)

Wren, Sir Christopher 1632-1723; Eng. architect

wren Synonyms

wren

n.

Kinds of wrens include: house, western house, winter, western winter, Carolina, long-billed marsh, tule marsh, cactus, cañon, rock, Nevada cañon, Berwick;

wren Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • hunt: Lets go and hunt the wren, I say.
  • see: I saw several wrens working their way along the hedgerows but there were no other birds of interest.
  • kill: Hunting of the Wren It is unlucky to kill a wren on any day apart from Boxing Day.
  • include: Around the time of maximum partiality there was much singing from birds including wrens, robins and a blackcap.
  • spot: I even spotted a jenny wren on the compost heap.
  • watch: On February 24 I watched a wren seeking food in my garden.

Adjective modifier

  • little: He who shall hurt the little wren Shall never be beloved by men.
  • tiny: Another morning a tiny wren actually came in to my room and flew about for some time before finding its way back to freedom.
  • blue: The first species to be seen by European settlers was aptly called the superb blue wren!
  • even: Crushed or grated nuts attract robins, dunnocks and even wrens.
  • young: Bird Life Among the bushes by a shady path an adult calls a warning to four young wrens.
  • small: Smallest wrens, we know, by training and the aid of machinery, are capable of many things.

Modifies a noun

  • medium: WREN media communication skills courses have helped hundreds of speakers to find their voice.
  • funding: WREN funding contributed toward the cast items of the bridge.
  • singing: Heard a Canyon wren singing, tho we didn't know it at the time, as we hadn't yet found a tape.
  • number: Wren numbers in the UK were greatly depleted by the cold winter of 1962/63 ( Marchant et al.

Noun used with modifier

  • jenny: The little jenny wren, whose nest I mentioned in my previous letter, has now hatched out her family.
  • house: Near the entrance we saw house wren, a perching gray hawk, an abundance of great kiskadees and several other flycatcher species.
  • rock: The rock wren feeds chiefly in open slopes on mountain ranges.
  • canyon: A canyon wren called in the distance but eluded us.

Browse dictionary entries near wren

  1. wrecking bar
  2. wrecking
  3. wrecker
  4. wrecked
  5. wreckage
  6. wreck
  7. wreathe
  8. wreath
  9. wreak
  10. WRC
  1. wrench
  2. wrest
  3. wrestle
  4. wrestler
  5. wrestling
  6. wrestling match
  7. wretch
  8. wretched
  9. wretchedness
  10. wrick