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American oriole

American oriole

6.4
A small North American songbird with bright orange or yellow and black feathers
  • noun
  • /əˈmɛrɪkən ˈɔriˌoʊl/
  • US
translation icon : oriol americano
  • The bright colors of the male American oriole make it easy to recognize in the spring.

Examples

  • We spotted a beautiful American oriole perched high in the maple tree.

  • The American oriole sings beautifully in the spring.

  • Many birdwatchers hope to catch a glimpse of the elusive American oriole during migration season.

  • Did you see the American oriole in the tree?

  • Many birdwatchers hope to catch a glimpse of the elusive American oriole during migration season.

  • The bright colors of the male American oriole make it easy to recognize in the spring.

  • We spotted a beautiful American oriole perched high in the maple tree.

Synonyms

oriole
vsAmerican oriole
  • US
7 7.3

A bright bird with orange and black or yellow feathers that sings

is the North American member of that broader bird group
New World oriole
vsAmerican oriole
  • US
7.4

A bright singing bird from the Americas whose males have black and orange or yellow feathers

is the North American subset of that group rather than the whole Americas
Baltimore oriole
vsAmerican oriole
  • US
5.7

A bright orange and black songbird found in the eastern United States

is the broader North American bird type rather than this eastern species
Icterus galbula
vsAmerican oriole
  • Specialized
9.9

A small songbird with bright orange and black feathers found in eastern North America

is the everyday name used for the same species rather than the scientific label
Icterus galbula galbula
vsAmerican oriole
  • Specialized
9.9

A small orange and black songbird found in eastern North America

is the broader North American species rather than a named subspecies
hangbird
vsAmerican oriole
  • Specialized
9.9

A small bright songbird that makes a hanging nest

is the general North American bird rather than a specific eastern subspecies
northern oriole
vsAmerican oriole
  • US
9.1

A medium-sized bright orange and black songbird found in North America

is the post-split North American species concept rather than the older combined one
Bullock's oriole
vsAmerican oriole
  • Specialized
9.0

A bright orange and black songbird found in western North America

is the broader North American bird category rather than this western subspecies
Icterus galbula bullockii
vsAmerican oriole
  • Specialized
9.9

A western North American oriole with bright orange and black feathers

is the broader North American species rather than this western subspecies
orchard oriole
vsAmerican oriole
  • US
8.6

A small North American songbird whose male has chestnut and black feathers

has males with orange or yellow rather than chestnut tones
Icterus spurius
vsAmerican oriole
  • Specialized
9.9

A small North American oriole with chestnut and black feathers

is the common name used more often than the scientific label

Surface Forms

Morphology

American + oriole

The phrase is directly compositional: 'American' specifies geographic origin and 'oriole' names the songbird, so the combined meaning 'an oriole found in the Americas (a North American species)' follows straightforwardly from the parts. This simple adjective + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

American oriole gets its name from the old word oriole, which comes from a Latin word meaning 'gold' because the male's bright yellow or orange feathers look like little bits of gold. So the name simply points to a North American bird known for its golden colors.