Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
least sandpiper

least sandpiper

9.6
A very small bird that lives on coasts in North America with yellow green legs
  • noun
  • /liːst ˈsændˌpaɪpər/
  • US
translation icon : playerito menor
  • The least sandpiper can be identified by its tiny size and yellow-green legs.

Examples

  • Many birdwatchers travel to the coast during migration season to spot the elusive least sandpiper.

  • A flock of least sandpipers swooped over the mudflats at low tide.

  • Look! A least sandpiper is nearby!

  • The least sandpiper is a tiny bird found along the coast.

  • Many birdwatchers travel to the coast during migration season to spot the elusive least sandpiper.

  • A flock of least sandpipers swooped over the mudflats at low tide.

  • The least sandpiper can be identified by its tiny size and yellow-green legs.

Synonyms

Erolia minutilla
vsleast sandpiper
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small North American shorebird that is the smallest sandpiper

is the common name for the same smallest shorebird in North America

Surface Forms

least sandpiper singular
least sandpipers plural

Morphology

least + sandpiper

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun combination: 'least' (smallest) + 'sandpiper' (a shorebird), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the smallest kind of sandpiper. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift—it's compositional and cross-linguistically transparent, though learners might not know the specific taxonomic detail about North American shorebirds.

Etymology

Least sandpiper comes from a simple picture: a very small sandpiper, with the word least showing it is the smallest of its kind. That's why the name means 'the smallest sandpiper', a tiny shorebird people look for on mudflats and coasts.