sand martin
- noun
- /sænd ˈmɑːtɪn/
- UK
:
martinete de arena
- The sand martin built its nest in a tunnel along the riverbank, protected from predators.
Examples
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While watching the river, we spotted a sand martin darting back and forth in search of insects.
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Every spring, the sand martin returns to the same cliff to nest and raise its young.
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A shadow darkened the air, and a large and indignant sand martin swooped down suddenly and landed with a thud just before them.
Fiction book (1997)
Synonyms
A small swallow that nests in tunnels in sand or clay river banks
A small bird that migrates and nests in tunnels dug into clay or sand banks
A small swallow that digs holes in sandy or clay banks to make its nest
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'sand martin' is compositionally formed from 'sand' (habitat/ground type) + 'martin' (a type of swallow), so its meaning — a martin associated with sandy banks — is directly inferable from the parts. This follows a regular English noun–noun compounding pattern (modifier + head) that is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably understand it as a small swallow living or nesting in sandy areas.
Etymology
Sand martin comes from the bird digging its nest tunnels in sand and from martin, an old word for a small swallow, so the name means a small swallow that nests in sandy river banks.