American coot
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən kut/
- US
:
gaviota americana
- During the spring migration, many American coots visit our local wetlands.
Examples
-
American coots forage for plants and seeds along the edges of ponds.
-
As recently as 1968, however, that honor belonged to the closely related American coot.
Academic text (1996) -
The American coot can often be seen swimming in the freshwater lakes near my house.
Synonyms
19
8.5
A medium-sized dark water bird with a white beak and forehead that looks like a duck
A medium-sized water bird in North America with dark feathers and a white bill
A medium water bird with dark feathers that swims in lakes and ponds
A small bird that lives in marshes, like the American coot
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'American' (from the Americas) modifies 'coot' (a type of bird), so the meaning 'a coot found in America' is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional, cross-linguistically common pattern makes the expression immediately comprehensible to learners who know both constituents, despite 'coot' being a less frequent lexical item.
Etymology
American coot may come from the bird's short, soft call that sounds like 'coot'. People added American to show the species found in North America, so the name points to this dark water bird with a white bill and special toes for swimming.