any of various gruiform marsh birds (family Rallidae) that both swim and wade; esp., the moorhen
Origin of gallinule
Modern Latin from Classical Latin gallinula, pullet, diminutive of gallina: see gallinaceousgallinule
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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gallinule
noun
Any of various waterbirds of the family Rallidae, frequenting swampy regions and characteristically having dark iridescent plumage and a colorful area where the bill extends onto the forehead.
Origin of gallinule
Latin gallīnula pullet diminutive of gallīna hen ; see gallinaceous .THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"Gallinule." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/gallinule.
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Gallinule. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gallinule
Noun
(plural gallinules)
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"Gallinule." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/gallinule.
APA Style
Gallinule. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gallinule
Sentence Examples
- Thus the downfall of the monarchy and of the ancient cults have been nearly fatal to some of the more beautiful birds; feather ornaments, formerly worn only by nobles, came to be a common decoration; and many species (for example the Hawaiian gallinule, Gallinula sandwicensis, which, because of its crimson frontal plate and bill, was said by the natives to have played the part of Prometheus, burning its head with fire stolen from the gods and bestowed on mortals) have been nearly destroyed by the mongoose, or have been driven from their lowland homes to the mountains, such being the fate of the mamo, mentioned above, and of the Sandwich Island goose (Bernicla sandwicensis), which is here a remarkable example of adaptation, as its present habitat is quite arid.
WORDS NEAR gallinule IN THE DICTIONARY
- gallinule
- gallinules
- galliot
- galliots