Thrush Meaning
/θɹʌʃ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAny of numerous species of songbirds of the cosmopolitan family Turdidae, such as the song thrush, mistle thrush, bluebird, and American robin.
nounA female singer.
Sentence Examples
The thrush sings each song twice over.
My land has palm trees where the thrush sings.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The birdwatcher saw a beautiful ____ with a spotted chest singing loudly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A beautiful ____ was heard singing in the garden early this morning, signaling the arrival of a new spring day today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English thrusche, þrusch, þresche, from a combination of Old English þrysċe (from Proto-Germanic *þruskijǭ, a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *þruskō) and Old English þræsċe (from Proto-Germanic *þrauskǭ and/or *þrastuz); all from Proto-Indo-European *trosdos (“thrush”). Cognate with German Drossel, Old Norse þrǫstr, Latin turdus, Lithuanian strazdas (“thrush”), Middle Irish truid, Welsh drudwy (“starling”), Old Church Slavonic дрозгъ (drozgŭ), Russian дрозд (drozd).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I felt comforted by the song of the redbreast, and I thought I felt less lonely and deserted as long as I heard the merry notes of the thrush."
— 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 281:
"Cervical cancer and recurrent vaginal thrush are both strongly linked to the presence of HIV in women."
— 1991 August 24, Dawn Schmitz, “AIDS Redefined In 1992?”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 6, page 6:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The birdwatcher saw a beautiful ____ with a spotted chest singing loudly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A beautiful ____ was heard singing in the garden early this morning, signaling the arrival of a new spring day today.