warbler

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   any of numerous small, active songbirds, especially members of the Old World family Sylviidae or the New World family Parulidae

   A reed warbler sang from the dense vegetation beside the marsh.

2. 2
   noun

   a person who sings, especially in a light, trilling, or sentimental style

   The radio warbler ended the song with a long wavering note.

From warble + the agent suffix -er, literally 'one that warbles.' It was applied to singers and to small birds noted for varied, trilling songs; ornithologists later used it across several groups of superficially similar songbirds.

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