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dickybird

dickybird

1 9.6
A small bird people talk about to children
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : pajarito
  • The children pointed excitedly at the dickybird hopping on the lawn.

Examples

  • My grandma used to tell me stories about a dickybird that could sing.

  • Look at the little dickybird in the garden!

  • Grandma told us to be quiet and listen to the dickybirds singing in the garden.

  • He drew a bright red dickybird in his coloring book.

  • The children were excited to see a little dickybird fluttering around the garden.

  • She pointed to the dickybird perched on the branch and said, 'Look how cute it is!'

  • During our walk, we spotted a tiny dickybird chirping merrily in the tree.

Synonyms

birdie
vsdickybird
  • Baby Talk
36 1.4

A small bird people talk about in a friendly way to children

is neutral rather than affectionate in tone when used
birdy
vsdickybird
  • Baby Talk
21 7.9

A small bird often named by children

is aimed at child-directed speech rather than being merely informal
dickeybird
vsdickybird
  • Archaic
9.9

A small bird that adults point out to children

is identical in meaning but lacks the extra letter in spelling
dicky-bird
vsdickybird
  • Archaic
9.6

A small bird adults often mention to children

does not specify that adults are the speakers in usage

How Small

dickybird
  • Archaic
1 9.6
birdy
  • Baby Talk
21 7.9
bird
1.0

Surface Forms

dickybird singular
dickybirds plural

Morphology

dickybird = dicky + bird (semi-transparent) = dicky + bird

The compound clearly involves 'bird', but the element 'dicky' is informal/childish and may not transparently signal 'small' to all learners.

Etymology

Dickybird is a playful children's name for a small bird; it joins dicky, a friendly pet-like word that suggests 'little', and bird meaning 'bird', so you can remember it as a tiny, cute bird you might show to a child.