Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The golden oriole of Europe, Oriolus galbula.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) The golden oriole of Europe. See oriole.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • The warm southern winds were full of their warbling -- beccafico, loriot, merle, citronelle, woodlark, nightingale, -- every tree, copse and tuft of grass held a tiny minstrel.

    Masters of the Guild L. Lamprey 1910

  • Golden oriels were busy in the tops of the wild cherry trees, feeding upon the ripe fruit, and calling out their French name, _loriot_; and when they flew across the river, a gleam of brilliant yellow moved swiftly over the rippled surface.

    Wanderings by southern waters, eastern Aquitaine Edward Harrison Barker 1885

Comments

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  • Ha! I found another bird wird! "The golden oriole of Europe."

    March 22, 2008

  • Really? I thought this was the French word for any oriole.

    March 24, 2008

  • Well, I found it in the (English) dictionary. Check OneLook.

    March 24, 2008

  • Aha--apparently it's both, depending on how you use it.

    Hey, it's also the name of an 1800s American ship. From Wikipedia: "Loriot was an American sailing ship involved in exploration of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. This brig took a member of a United States presidential expedition to survey land and the inhabitants of the area in the 1830s. The ship then transported members of the Willamette Cattle Company from Oregon Country to California in an effort to increase livestock in the Willamette Valley settlements."

    March 24, 2008