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kinglet

kinglet

1 8.4
A very small bird with a bright yellow crown that eats insects
  • noun
  • /ˈkɪŋlɪt/
translation icon : reyezuelo
  • The kinglet, with a noise of chopped-up screams, swooped down and caught an orange sulfur in its mouth and flew to the top of a pine to eat.

Examples

  • The tiny kinglet sang a cheerful melody that brightened our morning hike.

  • Overhead, a kinglet darted for bugs.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Yesterday, we saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet.

    Blog text (12)
  • Audubon shot an unusual red-crowned kinglet at his father-in-law's farm on the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania in 1812.

    Blog text (32)
  • As these bird species have decreased at Gaudineer, the golden-crowned kinglet (not a Neotropical migrant) has increased in numbers, perhaps moving into niches vacated by the declining warblers.

    Academic text (1990)
  • While birdwatching in the forest, I spotted a kinglet flitting among the branches.

  • At the edge of the garden, a kinglet perched on a twig, its bright crown gleaming in the sunlight.

Synonyms

ruby-crowned kinglet
vskinglet
  • US
1 8.8

A small North American songbird with a red patch on the male's head

is the general Northern Hemisphere small songbird noted for a bright crown
Regulus calendula
vskinglet
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small North American bird whose male has a red patch on the top of the head and sings

focuses on general tiny Northern songbird appearance rather than singing emphasis
gold-crowned kinglet
vskinglet
  • US
9.9

A very small North American bird with a bright golden crown on its head

is the general Northern Hemisphere tiny songbird with any bright crown color
golden-crested kinglet
vskinglet
  • UK
9.3

A very small European bird with a bright yellow crown patch edged in black

is the broader Northern Hemisphere small songbird rather than a specifically European one

Compounds

A small North American songbird with a red patch on the male's head

A very small North American bird with a bright golden crown on its head

A very small European bird with a bright yellow crown patch edged in black

Surface Forms

kinglet singular
kinglets plural

Morphology

kinglet = king (semi-transparent) = king + let

The suffix '-let' clearly marks a diminutive ('little king'), but the specific lexicalized meaning referring to a small bird is not predictable from the base alone for an average learner.

Etymology

Kinglet comes from king and the small ending -let, so it means 'little king'. The bird's bright, crown-like patch on its head looks like a tiny crown, so the name helps you remember it as a 'little king' among songbirds.