noun / adjective
canary
kuh-NAIR-ee/kəˈneri/
A small songbird commonly having yellow plumage.
A yellow canary sings from a perch inside its cage.
Etymology
Spanish canario names the bird by its native Canary Islands, rather than by its yellow color. The island name’s apparent connection with dogs may be folk etymology.
In context
by whom I might propagate the breed but I think I should rather have died than undergone the disgrace of leaving a posterity to be kept in cages like tame Canary birds
More examples
- The room was painted a bright canary yellow.
- She fed the canary before leaving for work.
- Several canaries answered one another with lively songs.
Forms
canary · canaries
Similar words
- finch
- A broader bird group that includes the canary.