curlew Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun large migratory shorebirds of the sandpiper family; closely related to woodcocks but having a down-curved bill

F. courlieu, corlieu, courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus courier; L. currere to run + levis light.

(Zoöl.) A wading bird of the genus Numenius, remarkable for its long, slender, curved bill. ✍ The common European curlew is N. arquatus. The long-billed (N. longirostris), the Hudsonian (N. Hudsonicus), and the Eskimo curlew (N. borealis, are American species. The name is said to imitate the note of the European species.