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Glite Dictionary
scarlet tanager

scarlet tanager

1 9.3
A North American songbird whose male has bright red body with black wings and tail
  • noun
  • /ˈskɑrlɪt ˈtænədʒər/
  • US
translation icon : tángara escarlata
  • What mood was she in when she saw that scarlet tanager?

Examples

  • As we hiked through the forest, we spotted a vibrant male scarlet tanager resting on a high branch.

  • The scarlet tanager.

    Sweet and Lowdown (1999)

  • "A scarlet tanager?" Benjamine Doost, who knows everything, exclaims drily, "That was a robin."

    Fiction book (2000)

  • They had parakeets, scarlet tanagers, finches, and orioles, but all I saw was a pair of cardinals frantically trying to walk their way to freedom through the bars.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • During our birdwatching trip, we were thrilled to see a scarlet tanager fluttering among the trees.

  • The scarlet tanager is known for its striking red color, making it a favorite among bird enthusiasts.

Synonyms

Piranga olivacea
vsscarlet tanager
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American bird whose male has a bright red body and black wings

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific name

Surface Forms

scarlet tanager singular
scarlet tanagers plural

Morphology

scarlet + tanager

This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'scarlet' (a vivid red color) + 'tanager' (a small brightly colored songbird) yields a tanager that is scarlet in color. Such color-species noun combinations are highly compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning.

Etymology

Scarlet tanager comes from the bird's look: scarlet means 'bright red' and tanager is a name for a small songbird, so the name paints the picture of a red songbird and explains why we call the male bird by this name.