barn swallow
1
3.7
- noun
- /bɑrn ˈswɑloʊ/
:
golondrina de granero
- The farmer watched as a barn swallow expertly built its nest under the eaves of the red barn.
Examples
-
A common barn swallow, probably in migration, was sporadically swooping and plucking them out of the sky, once coming so low as to rustle the cloth on my face.
Academic text (1991) -
As the sun set, a flock of barn swallows flew gracefully above the fields, catching insects in mid-air.
-
There was a Barn Swallow on a wire near the plantation house.
Blog text (13) -
South of Broken Bow, at dawn, I cannot avoid an immature barn swallow.
Fiction book (1998) -
Barn swallows are the only ones with white spots under their tails.
-
Associated and in sympathy with the barn swallows, Lucy affectionately explains, "They come every year...
Fiction book (1993) -
"They're leaving!" she yelled to the barn swallows who dipped and swerved over the green meadow grass.
Fiction book (1990) -
During our tour of the defoliated areas, Orians and I did not see a single species of insect-eating or plant-eating bird, with the exception of barn swallows, which were migrants from the north.
Academic text (1990) -
In early summer, barn swallows return from their migration and can often be seen swooping over the pond.
Synonyms
15
2.1
A small bird with long pointed wings and a forked tail that eats insects
A small bird with a long forked tail that builds mud nests on buildings
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a transparent compound: the meaning is a swallow (the bird) associated with or found in barns, so knowing 'barn' and 'swallow' readily yields the intended concept of a species that nests in barns. The composition (location + animal) is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Barn swallow gets its name from where the bird lives: the parts barn and swallow point to a small swallow that often builds its 'nest' in farm barns. So the name tells you this is a swallow commonly found in barns.