🛸 A space warship ✈️ A military airplane

warbird

1 7.2

An old military airplane restored and kept for airshows or museums

noun
/ˈwɔːrˌbɜrd/

Jargon

: avión militar histórico

Many volunteers work tirelessly to preserve these warbirds, ensuring that the legacy of past conflicts is honored.

Examples

You're Wheaton Warbirds.

Saving Silverman (2001)
The project began life on Twitter when warbird restorer and aviation fanatic John Lilley tweeted about his longstanding idea of getting a Mosquito flying in the UK again.

Blog text (14)
The museum features a collection of restored warbirds from World War II, attracting aviation enthusiasts from all over.
At the airshow, we watched stunning aerial performances by vintage warbirds that once fought in historic battles.

Synonyms

military plane

vswarbird

8 3.9

A plane used by the armed forces for fighting or protection

is an older combat aircraft preserved or restored from past wars

Surface Forms

warbird singular

warbirds plural

Morphology

warbird = war + bird (semi-transparent) = war + bird

Composed of 'war' + 'bird'; the military sense is clear but 'bird' meaning aircraft (especially historic or restored military planes) is a metaphorical extension.

Etymology

Warbird joins war ('a fight between armies') and bird ('a flying creature'). People began to call old military planes 'warbirds' as a friendly image—these are the 'birds' that fought in war—so today warbird usually means a restored or preserved warplane.