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finch

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Finch

English

Etymology

    From Middle English fynch, from Old English finċ, from Proto-West Germanic *finki, from Proto-Germanic *finkiz (compare Dutch vink, German Fink), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pingos (chaffinch). Compare Welsh pinc (finch), Ancient Greek σπίγγος (spíngos, chaffinch), Russian пе́нка (pénka, wren), Sanskrit फिङ्गक (phiṅgaka, drongo, shrike).

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    finch (plural finches)

    1. Any Eurasian goldfinch (of species Carduelis carduelis, syn. Fringilla carduelis).
    2. Any bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating passerine birds, native chiefly to the Northern Hemisphere and usually having a conical beak.
    3. Any bird of other families of similar appearance to members of family Fringillidae.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    See also

    Verb

    finch (third-person singular simple present finches, present participle finching, simple past and past participle finched)

    1. To hunt for finches, to go finching.

    References

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    Middle English

    Noun

    finch

    1. alternative form of fynch

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