English

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Black-capped chickadee

Etymology

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Apparent onomatopoeia from these birds' calls having a distinctive “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” sound, possibly influenced by chick or chicken.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃɪ.kəˌdi/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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chickadee (plural chickadees)

  1. A small passerine bird (songbird) of the genus Parus or the family Paridae.
    Synonyms: tit, titmouse
  2. Affectionate term of address.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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