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Glite Dictionary
dickeybird

dickeybird

9.9
A small bird that adults point out to children
  • noun
  • /ˈdɪkiˌbɜrd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : pajarito
  • The children laughed as they watched a dickeybird chirping on the tree branch.

Examples

  • Grandma pointed out a colorful dickeybird while we were walking in the park.

  • Look at the cute little dickeybird hopping around in the garden.

  • I need only avoid thinking of that hard, clear, and empty stomach itself; the rest of the wolf was free to me, along with the old wife, the young smith, and the dickeybird.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

birdie
vsdickeybird
  • Baby Talk
36 1.4

A small bird people talk about in a friendly way to children

is neutral in tone rather than affectionate when used
birdy
vsdickeybird
  • Baby Talk
21 7.9

A small bird often named by children

is aimed at child-directed speech rather than being childish in tone
dickybird
vsdickeybird
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A small bird people talk about to children

is identical in meaning and used the same way when speaking to children
dicky-bird
vsdickeybird
  • Archaic
9.6

A small bird adults often mention to children

is used in child-directed speech more generally not only by adults
dickey-bird
vsdickeybird
  • Baby Talk
9.9

A small bird adults call when talking to children

is the general child-directed term without British regional note

Surface Forms

dickeybird singular
dickeybirds plural

Morphology

dickeybird = dickey + bird (semi-transparent) = dickey + bird

The compound clearly names a type of bird, but the meaning of 'dickey' as a diminutive/pet word is dialectal/childish and not obviously productive for typical learners.

Etymology

Dickeybird is a friendly old child's name for a small bird. A helpful way to remember it is that it joins dickey, a playful baby-talk word meaning 'little' or 'cute', with bird, so it simply means a 'little bird' and is used when adults point out small birds to children.