blackbird meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

blackbird

noun

UK /ˈblakbəːd/ · US /ˈblækˌbɚd/

Etymology From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.

A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.

A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird).

Derogatory, Historical, Slang A native of the South Pacific islands.

Among slavers and pirates

Synonyms: common blackbird, Eurasian blackbird, merle, merl, ouzel, icterid
Derived terms: 38 terms
austral blackbird, blackbirder, blackbirding, Blackbird Leys, blackbirdlike, Bolivian blackbird, Brewer's blackbird, chestnut-capped blackbird, Chopi blackbird, Cuban blackbird, Forbes's blackbird, grey-winged blackbird, Indian blackbird, Jamaican blackbird, melodious blackbird, Michaelmas blackbird, New World blackbird, Old World blackbird, oriole blackbird, pale-eyed blackbird, red-breasted blackbird, red-shouldered blackbird, red-winged blackbird, rusty blackbird, saffron-cowled blackbird, scarlet-headed blackbird, scrub blackbird, skunk blackbird, tawny-shouldered blackbird, Tibetan blackbird, tricolored blackbird, unicolored blackbird, white-browed blackbird, white-collared blackbird, yellow-headed blackbird, yellow-hooded blackbird, yellow-shouldered blackbird, yellow-winged blackbird

verb

Etymology From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.

To enslave someone, especially through chicanery or force

“At the same time, island communities — especially in coastal areas, where the effect of population loss was often enormous — sometimes retaliated against blackbirding raids.”2000, Kate Fortune, Brij V. Lal, The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia – Volume 1, University of Hawaiʻi, →ISBN, page 208: