blue jay
5
2.3
- noun
- /bluː dʒeɪ/
- US
:
arrendajo azul
- I watched a blue jay chase away the squirrels from the bird feeder.
Examples
-
In the courtyard, blue jays and sparrows were twittering in the branches of an orange tree.
Fiction book (2000) -
Hey, little blue jay, sing me a tune Down way in Mexico back in June
-
Cardinals and blue jays are feeding everywhere.
Fiction book (1995) -
When she started back, she saw a blue jay perched atop the feeder.
Fiction book (2002) -
I watched as a blue jay swooped down and caused panic among the sparrows at the feeder.
Fiction book (1999) -
A blue jay hovered in suspended flight across the gully while I wrestled with confusion.
Fiction book (1994) -
As I sat quietly in the garden, a beautiful blue jay landed on the branch above me.
-
In the early morning light, the blue jay's vibrant feathers were striking against the green leaves.
Synonyms
6
5.5
A bird with bright blue feathers and a grey breast found in eastern North America
A bright blue bird with a grey breast that lives in eastern North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a jay with bright blue plumage' is directly derivable from combining 'blue' (a color) with 'jay' (a type of bird): a straightforward color + noun compound. This compositional, modifier-noun pattern is common across languages and standard in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Blue jay comes from the bird's bright blue feathers and the word jay, which people used for a noisy, bold bird. So the name means a loud, bright 'bird' you can often see in North America.