Magpie Meaning
/ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounOne of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
nounA superficially similar Australian bird, Gymnorhina tibicen, in the family Artamidae.
Sentence Examples
To the crow family belong the raven, the rook and the magpie.
Hello Mr Magpie! How's your wife?
It's not a crow, nor a raven. It's a magpie.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ is a black and white bird that loves collecting shiny objects.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a bird that is known for its distinctive black and white feathers and its loud, noisy call.
Word Origin & History
From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie (“magpie”), from Middle English pie, pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker, magpie”). Displaced native Old English agu (“magpie”) and Middle English aguster (“magpie”), whence English haggister.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Not only is Mr. Booker a voracious magpie (who does not always acknowledge the sources of his ideas), but he also turns out to be an annoyingly biased and didactic one."
— 2005 April 15, Michiko Kakutani, “The Plot Thins, or Are No Stories New?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"Kitty and I were engaged. The next day I met those accursed “magpie” Jhampanies at the back of Jakko, and, moved by some passing sentiment of pity, stopped to tell Mrs. Wessington everything."
— 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “The Phantom Rickshaw”, in The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales, Allahabad: A.H. Wheeler and Co., page 12:
"The worst part of my experience in this magpie livery was yet to come, for I was to appear in it the next day at church."
— 1889, Henry White, The Record of My Life: An Autobiography, Cheltenham: Henry White, page 60:
"The little rail-enclosed plots that lay between the pavements and the hotels were magpied with torn paper […]"
— 1914, Oliver Onions, Mushroom Town, New York: George H. Doran, Part 4, Chapter 3, pp. 292-293:
"[…] she stood at the window and saw the lake blue with spring and a few patches of snow that magpied the hills."
— 1952, Michael McLaverty, chapter 15, in Truth in the Night, Dublin: Poolbeg, published 1986, page 179:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ is a black and white bird that loves collecting shiny objects.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ is a bird that is known for its distinctive black and white feathers and its loud, noisy call.