wagtail

  • 1Wagtail — Wag tail , n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of many species of Old World singing birds belonging to {Motacilla} and several allied genera of the family {Motacillid[ae]}. They have the habit of constantly jerking their long tails up and down, whence the name …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2wagtail — ► NOUN ▪ a slender songbird with a long tail that is frequently wagged up and down …

    English terms dictionary

  • 3wagtail — [wag′tāl΄] n. 1. any of numerous small passerine birds (family Motacillidae) mostly native to Europe, characterized by long wing feathers and a very long tail that wags up and down ☆ 2. any of various similar birds, as an American waterthrush …

    English World dictionary

  • 4Wagtail — For the nuclear missile, see Wagtail (missile). Wagtails African Pied Wagtail Scientific classification Kingdom …

    Wikipedia

  • 5wagtail — /wag tayl /, n. 1. any of numerous small, chiefly Old World birds of the family Motacillidae, having a slender body with a long, narrow tail that is habitually wagged up and down. 2. any of several similar birds, as the water thrushes of the… …

    Universalium

  • 6wagtail —    ‘Thou wagtail’ was a commonly used vocative in the seventeenth century. Applied to a young man it was usually contemptuous, applied to a woman it was always contemptuous, and was roughly equivalent to calling her a whore.    The term is in no… …

    A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • 7wagtail — UK [ˈwæɡˌteɪl] / US noun [countable] Word forms wagtail : singular wagtail plural wagtails a small bird with a long tail that quickly moves up and down when the bird walks …

    English dictionary

  • 8wagtail — [[t]wæ̱gteɪl[/t]] wagtails N COUNT A wagtail is a type of small bird which moves its tail quickly up and down as it walks …

    English dictionary

  • 9wagtail — noun a slender songbird with a long tail that is frequently wagged up and down. [Motacilla alba (pied wagtail) and other species.] …

    English new terms dictionary

  • 10wagtail — /ˈwægteɪl / (say wagtayl) noun 1. any of numerous small, chiefly Eurasian birds of the family Motacillidae, having a slender body with a long, narrow tail which is habitually wagged up and down; a number of species are irregular migrants or… …