nightingale Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun European songbird noted for its melodious nocturnal song
    Luscinia megarhynchos.
  2. noun English nurse remembered for her work during the Crimean War (1820-1910)
    Lady with the Lamp; Florence Nightingale.

WordNet

Night"in*gale noun
Etymology
OE. nihtegale,nightingale, AS. nihtegale; niht night + galan to sing, akin to E. yell; cf. D. nachtegaal, OS. nahtigala, OHG. nahtigala, G. nachtigall, Sw. näktergal, Dan. nattergal. See Night, and Yell.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A small, plain, brown and gray European song bird (Luscinia luscinia). It sings at night, and is celebrated for the sweetness of its song.
  2. (Zoöl.) A larger species (Lucinia philomela), of Eastern Europe, having similar habits; the thrush nightingale. The name is also applied to other allied species.

Webster 1913