Word Meanings - CUCKOO - Book Publishers vocabulary database

A bird belonging to Cuculus, Coccyzus, and several allied genera, of many species. Note: The European cuckoo builds no nest of its own, but lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, to be hatched by them. The American yellow-billed cuckoo and

Additional info about word: CUCKOO

A bird belonging to Cuculus, Coccyzus, and several allied genera, of many species. Note: The European cuckoo builds no nest of its own, but lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, to be hatched by them. The American yellow-billed cuckoo and the black-billed cuckoo build their own nests. Cuckoo bee , a bee, parasitic in the larval stage in the nests of other bees, feeding either upon their food or larvae. They belong to the genera Nomada, Melecta, Epeolus, and others. -- Cuckoo clock, a clock so constructed that at the time for striking it gives forth sounds resembling the cry of the cuckoo. -- Cuckoo dove , a long-tailed pigeon of the genus Macropygia. Many species inhabit the East Indies. -- Cuckoo fish , the European red gurnard . The name probably alludes to the sound that it utters. -- Cuckoo falcon , any falcon of the genus Baza. The genus inhabits Africa and the East Indies. -- Cuckoo maid , the wryneck; -- called also cuckoo mate. -- Cuckoo ray , a British ray . -- Cuckoo spit, or Cuckoo spittle. A frothy secretion found upon plants, exuded by the larvae of certain insects, for concealment; -- called also toad spittle and frog spit. A small hemipterous insect, the larva of which, living on grass and the leaves of plants, exudes this secretion. The insects belong to Aphrophora, Helochara, and allied genera. -- Ground cuckoo, the chaparral cock.

Related words: (words related to CUCKOO)

• YELLOW-GOLDS
  A certain plant, probably the yellow oxeye. B. Jonson.
• YELLOWTOP
  A kind of grass, perhaps a species of Agrostis.
• YELLOWFISH
  A rock trout found on the coast of Alaska; -- called also striped fish, and Atka mackerel.
• HATCHURE
  See HACHURE
• BILLY GOAT
  A male goat.
• BILLIARDS
  A game played with ivory balls o a cloth-covered, rectangular table, bounded by elastic cushions. The player seeks to impel his ball with his cue so that it shall either strike two other balls, or drive another ball into one of the pockets with
• ALLICIENT
  That attracts; attracting. -- n.
• BILLON
  An alloy of gold and silver with a large proportion of copper or other base metal, used in coinage.
• ALLINEATION; ALINEEATION
  Alignment; position in a straight line, as of two planets with the sun. Whewell. The allineation of the two planets. C. A. Young.
• BILLINGSGATE
  1. A market near the Billings gate in London, celebrated for fish and foul language. 2. Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language; vituperation; ribaldry.
• OTHERGUISE; OTHERGUESS
  Of another kind or sort; in another way. "Otherguess arguments." Berkeley.
• ALLITERAL
  Pertaining to, or characterized by alliteration.
• GENERABILITY
  Capability of being generated. Johnstone.
• AMERICANIZATION
  The process of Americanizing.
• GENERALIZED
  Comprising structural characters which are separated in more specialized forms; synthetic; as, a generalized type.
• BILLETHEAD
  A round piece of timber at the bow or stern of a whaleboat, around which the harpoon lone is run out when the whale darts off.
• GENERALIZABLE
  Capable of being generalized, or reduced to a general form of statement, or brought under a general rule. Extreme cases are . . . not generalizable. Coleridge
• BILLFISH
  A name applied to several distinct fishes: The garfish and allied species. The saury, a slender fish of the Atlantic coast . The Tetrapturus albidus, a large oceanic species related to the swordfish; the spearfish. The American fresh-water
• GENERA
  See GENUS
• HATCHETTINE; HATCHETTITE
  Mineral t
• GALLIASS
  See GALLEASS
• ANTIBILLOUS
  Counteractive of bilious complaints; tending to relieve biliousness.
• NOTOTHERIUM
  An extinct genus of gigantic herbivorous marsupials, found in the Pliocene formation of Australia.
• DALLIANCE
  1. The act of dallying, trifling, or fondling; interchange of caresses; wanton play. Look thou be true, do not give dalliance Too mnch the rein. Shak. O, the dalliance and the wit, The flattery and the strifeTennyson. 2. Delay or procrastination.
• MAJOR GENERAL
  . An officer of the army holding a rank next above that of brigadier general and next below that of lieutenant general, and who usually commands a division or a corps.
• KAKARALLI
  A kind of wood common in Demerara, durable in salt water, because not subject to the depredations of the sea worm and barnacle.
• SCALLION
  A kind of small onion , native of Palestine; the eschalot, or shallot. 2. Any onion which does not "bottom out," but remains with a thick stem like a leek. Amer. Cyc.
• CORALLIGENOUS
  producing coral; coraligerous; coralliferous. Humble.
• RIPPER ACT; RIPPER BILL
  An act or a bill conferring upon a chief executive, as a governor or mayor, large powers of appointment and removal of heads of departments or other subordinate officials.
• UNREGENERACY
  The quality or state of being unregenerate. Glanvill.
• ISOGEOTHERMAL; ISOGEOTHERMIC
  Pertaining to, having the nature of, or marking, isogeotherms; as, an isogeothermal line or surface; as isogeothermal chart. -- n.
• CROOKBILL
  A New Zealand plover , remarkable for having the end of the beak abruptly bent to the right.
• SMOTHER
  Etym: 1. To destroy the life of by suffocation; to deprive of the air necessary for life; to cover up closely so as to prevent breathing; to suffocate; as, to smother a child. 2. To affect as by suffocation; to stife; to deprive of air by a thick
• REALLIANCE
  A renewed alliance.
• SNIPEBILL
  1. A plane for cutting deep grooves in moldings. 2. A bolt by which the body of a cart is fastened to the axle.
• IMPALLID
  To make pallid; to blanch. Feltham.