man-of-war bird

man-of-war bird
Frigate Frig"ate, n. [F. fr['e]gate, It. fregata, prob. contracted fr. L. fabricata something constructed or built. See {Fabricate}.] 1. Originally, a vessel of the Mediterranean propelled by sails and by oars. The French, about 1650, transferred the name to larger vessels, and by 1750 it had been appropriated for a class of war vessels intermediate between corvettes and ships of the line. Frigates, from about 1750 to 1850, had one full battery deck and, often, a spar deck with a lighter battery. They carried sometimes as many as fifty guns. After the application of steam to navigation steam frigates of largely increased size and power were built, and formed the main part of the navies of the world till about 1870, when the introduction of ironclads superseded them. [Formerly spelled {frigat} and {friggot}.] [1913 Webster]

2. Any small vessel on the water. [Obs.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

{Frigate bird} (Zo["o]l.), a web-footed rapacious bird, of the genus {Fregata}; -- called also {man-of-war bird}, and {frigate pelican}. Two species are known; that of the Southern United States and West Indies is {F. aquila}. They are remarkable for their long wings and powerful flight. Their food consists of fish which they obtain by robbing gulls, terns, and other birds, of their prey. They are related to the pelicans.

{Frigate mackerel} (Zo["o]l.), an oceanic fish ({Auxis Rochei}) of little or no value as food, often very abundant off the coast of the United States.

{Frigate pelican}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Frigate bird}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • man-of-war bird — n. (Zo[ o]l.), The frigate bird, a long billed warm water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail; also applied to the skua gulls, and to the wandering albatross. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • man-of-war bird — n. FRIGATE BIRD * * * …   Universalium

  • man-o'-war bird — man′ o war′ bird [[t]ˈmæn əˈwɔr[/t]] n. orn frigate bird • Etymology: 1650–60 …   From formal English to slang

  • man-of-war bird — n. FRIGATE BIRD …   English World dictionary

  • man-o'-war bird — ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun or man o war hawk 1. : frigate bird 2. : skua 3. : albatross * * * /man euh wawr /. See …   Useful english dictionary

  • man-of-war bird — noun long billed warm water seabird with wide wingspan and forked tail • Syn: ↑frigate bird • Hypernyms: ↑pelecaniform seabird • Member Holonyms: ↑Fregata, ↑genus Fregata * * * man of war bird or …   Useful english dictionary

  • man-o'-war bird — /man euh wawr /. See frigate bird. [1650 60] * * * …   Universalium

  • man-o'-war bird — noun Date: 1707 frigate bird …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • man-o'-war bird — /mæn ə ˈwɔ bɜd/ (say man uh waw berd) noun → frigatebird …  

  • man-of-war bird —    Iwa …   English-Hawaiian dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”