American egret
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən ˈiːɡrɪt/
- Specialized
:
garza americana
- The American egret is often seen standing still as it patiently waits for fish to swim by.
Examples
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While walking along the marsh, I spotted an American egret gracefully wading through the shallow water.
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At the nature reserve, we were excited to see an American egret with its striking white feathers against the green reeds.
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The only bird it could have been is an American egret, a water bird.
Blog text (4)
Synonyms
A large white heron found in the Americas that wades in shallow water to catch fish
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a type of egret from the Americas' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'American' (from the Americas) with 'egret' (a white heron). This adjective+noun pattern for naming species or regional varieties is cross-linguistically common and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
American egret comes from the French word 'aigrette', which meant 'little heron' and also the small white feathers people once used as hat decorations. The bird's long neck and elegant white feathers made the name fit, so today it refers to the large white heron found in the Americas.
