sparrow
nounUK /ˈspæɹəʊ/ · US /ˈspæɹoʊ/
Etymology
From Middle English sparewe, sparowe, sparu, sparwe, spearewe, sperrewe, from Old English spearwa, from Proto-West Germanic *sparwō, from Proto-Germanic *sparwô, from Proto-Indo-European *spḗr (“sparrow”). Cognates Cognate with Yola sparrowe (“sparrow”), North Frisian sparag, spåri (“sparrow”), Saterland Frisian Spräie (“sparrow”), Alemannic German and Luxembourgish Spatz (“sparrow”), Dutch spreeuw (“starling”), German Spatz, Sperling (“sparrow”), Vilamovian śpielik, śpjelik, śpjeliḱ (“sparrow”), Yiddish שפּערל (shperl, “sparrow”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål spurv (“sparrow”), Faroese spurvur (“sparrow”), Norwegian Nynorsk sporv (“sparrow”), Swedish sparv (“sparrow”), Gothic 𐍃𐍀𐌰𐍂𐍅𐌰 (sparwa, “sparrow”); also Latin parra (“bird of ill omen”), Ancient Greek ψάρ (psár), ψήρ (psḗr, “starling”).
The house sparrow, Passer domesticus; a small bird with a short bill, and brown, white and gray feathers.
- Man progresses generally, not both legs at once like a sparrow, but by putting one leg forward first, and then the other.1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 192:
- In a poem by Sappho, Aphrodite is represented as riding in a car drawn by sparrows.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 87:
A member of the family Passeridae, comprising small Old World songbirds.
A member of the family Passerellidae (or Emberizidae, under classification systems that subsume the New World sparrows under Emberizidae), comprising small New World songbirds.
Generically, any small, nondescript bird.
London, UK A quick-witted, lively person.
- cockney sparrow
- I take it there 's scarcely a happier fellow alive than your honest town-bred smoke-dried cockney sparrow.1878, Charles Henry Ross, Ally Sloper's guide to the Paris exhibition, page 54:
1 more example
- Professional cockney sparrow Martine has acted since childhood.2005, Drama Faces: Martine McCutcheon, BBC:
- Derived terms
27 terms
olive sparrow, rock sparrow, sparrowcide, sparrowdom, sparrow dominoes, sparrow fart, sparrow-fart, sparrow grass, sparrowgrass, sparrow-grass, sparrowhawk, sparrow hawk, sparrowish, sparrowlark, sparrow-lark, sparrowless, sparrowlike, sparrowling, sparrow mumbling, sparrow owl, sparrow-proof, sparrow shot, sparrows' wedding, sparrow weaver, sparrow-weaver, sparrowwort, sparrowy- Hyponyms
68 terms
American sparrow, American tree sparrow, Bachman's sparrow, barley sparrow, Bell's sparrow, Botteri's sparrow, Brewer sparrow, Brewer's sparrow, bush sparrow, Cape sparrow, Cassin's sparrow, chipping sparrow, cock-sparrow, cock sparrow, crown sparrow, diamond sparrow, English sparrow, Eurasian tree sparrow, field sparrow, Forbush's sparrow, fox sparrow, German sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, grass sparrow, ground sparrow, Harris's sparrow, hedge sparrow, Henslow's sparrow, hen sparrow, house sparrow, Ipswich sparrow, Italian sparrow, Java sparrow, lark sparrow, LeConte's sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, mountain sparrow, native sparrow, Nelson's sparrow, New World sparrow, night sparrow, Old World sparrow, paradise sparrow, reed sparrow, ring sparrow, rock sparrow, rufous-collared sparrow, rufous-crowned sparrow, russet sparrow, sagebrush sparrow, sage sparrow, saltmarsh sparrow, Savannah sparrow, saxaul sparrow, seaside sparrow, sharp-tailed sparrow, snow sparrow, song sparrow, Spanish sparrow, Texas sparrow, timberline sparrow, tree sparrow, true sparrow, vesper sparrow, water sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, white-throated sparrow, Zapata sparrow