spoonbill

C2 Topic:Animals

US /ˈspuːnˌbɪl/ UK /ˈspuːnbɪl/ See IPA manual

Freq #193778

Meanings

1

noun
a long-legged wading bird related to the ibises, with a broad, flat bill rounded at the tip

The spoonbill swept its flattened bill from side to side through the shallow water.
2

noun
a broad-billed duck, especially a shoveler

The marsh census listed several spoonbills among the wintering ducks.
3

noun
US regional: the American paddlefish, named for its long flattened snout

The angler released the young spoonbill into the river.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a long-legged wading bird... spoon-billed wader

2 noun · a broad-billed duck,... shovelerspoon-billed duck

3 noun · us regional: the american... paddlefishspoonbill cat

Word family

Related forms ibisPlataleashovelerpaddlefishspatulate bill

Etymology

A compound of spoon + bill, first recorded in the seventeenth century, referring to the bird's broad, flattened, rounded beak. The same descriptive name was later applied regionally to broad-billed ducks and to the American paddlefish with its paddle-shaped snout.

Topics

Animals

External links

# spoonbill

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈspuːnˌbɪl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈspuːnbɪl/
**Frequency rank:** 193778

## Meanings
1. a long-legged wading bird related to the ibises, with a broad, flat bill rounded at the tip
2. a broad-billed duck, especially a shoveler
3. US regional: the American paddlefish, named for its long flattened snout

## Examples
- The spoonbill swept its flattened bill from side to side through the shallow water.
- The marsh census listed several spoonbills among the wintering ducks.
- The angler released the young spoonbill into the river.

## Synonyms
- spoon-billed wader
- shoveler
- paddlefish

## Related Forms
- ibis
- Platalea
- shoveler
- paddlefish
- spatulate bill

## Etymology
A compound of spoon + bill, first recorded in the seventeenth century, referring to the bird's broad, flattened, rounded beak. The same descriptive name was later applied regionally to broad-billed ducks and to the American paddlefish with its paddle-shaped snout.

## Topics
- Animals

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