Meanings
plural peewits · alternative pewit
- Any of several birds:
- laughing gull (Xema ridibundus)
- AustraliaA magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca).
A hawk came swooping down near tree-level to be immediately assailed by screeching pee-wits.
1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 107
- The sound of the call of one of these birds.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlarge crested Old World plover having wattles and spurs
nounsmall olive-colored woodland flycatchers of eastern North America
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Onomatopoeic; for the pronunciation /ˈpjuːɪt/ and corresponding form pewit, compare leeward, Seward, steward.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech čejka chocholatá
- čejka chocholatáVanellus vanellus
French vanneau huppé
- vanneau huppéVanellus vanellus
German Kiebitz
- KiebitzVanellus vanellus
Irish pilibín
- pilibínVanellus vanellus
Scottish Gaelic curracag, adharcan
- curracagVanellus vanellus
- adharcanVanellus vanellus
Welsh cornchwiglen
- cornchwiglenVanellus vanellus
Cite this entry
peewit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peewit
“peewit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peewit. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “peewit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/peewit.
Source: peewit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.