little egret
- noun
- /ˈlɪtəl ˈiːɡrɪt/
- UK
:
garcita
- The little egret is easily recognized by its slender black bill and delicate plumes.
Examples
-
We spotted a little egret by the riverbank, searching for food in the shallow water.
-
Several little egrets have begun nesting in the wetlands each spring.
-
Look! A little egret!
-
I saw a little egret near the pond.
-
We spotted a little egret by the riverbank, searching for food in the shallow water.
-
The little egret is easily recognized by its slender black bill and delicate plumes.
-
Several little egrets have begun nesting in the wetlands each spring.
Synonyms
A small white heron often seen near rivers and wetlands
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'little' (small) modifies 'egret' (a white heron), so the phrase straightforwardly denotes a small egret. This adjective+noun descriptive pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be understood by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Little egret is a name made from little and egret and probably comes from the French word 'aigrette', used for small white herons with thin feathers. That's why little egret today means the small white 'heron' you see at rivers and wetlands.