Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
little grebe

little grebe

8.6
Small brown water bird with a short neck that swims and dives on ponds
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : zampullín
  • We spotted a little grebe diving for food near the riverbank this morning.

Examples

  • She photographed a pair of little grebes building their floating nest on the pond.

  • The little grebe is known for its distinctive whinnying call during the breeding season.

  • Look at that little grebe!

  • I spotted a little grebe swimming in the pond.

  • We spotted a little grebe diving for food near the riverbank this morning.

  • She photographed a pair of little grebes building their floating nest on the pond.

  • I spotted a little grebe swimming in the pond.

Synonyms

Podiceps ruficollis
vslittle grebe
  • Specialized
9.9

A small diving water bird in Europe called the little grebe

is the common English name rather than the formal Latin label
dabchick
vslittle grebe
9.9

A small water bird with a short neck that dives for fish and insects

is used for the same bird across both Europe and Asia

Surface Forms

little grebe singular
little grebes plural

Morphology

little + grebe

This is a simple adjective + noun composition: 'little' = small and 'grebe' = a type of water bird, so the phrase transparently means a small grebe (a small water bird). Such descriptive species names follow common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily derive the meaning.

Etymology

Little grebe is a simple name: little shows its small size and grebe is the kind of diving water bird it belongs to. Picture a tiny bird with a short neck that pops up and dives on ponds, and that's why 'little grebe' means this small type of water bird.