tanager

T1A1N1A1G2E1R1
UK/ˈtæ.nə.d͡ʒə/US/ˈtæ.nə.d͡ʒəɹ/

noun

Any of numerous species of often colorful passerine birds that inhabit New World forests within the family Thraupidae.

UncommonScrabble 8

Meanings

nountanager (plural tanagers)

plural tanagers

  1. Any of numerous species of often colorful passerine birds that inhabit New World forests within the family Thraupidae.

    I’m remembering that time when there was a mourning warbler on that chip path 15 years ago and I remember the scarlet tanagers last week. That’s what I think about when I’m in the park.

    2023 June 19, Morgan Jerkins, quoting Christian Cooper, “‘She doesn’t have the power’: Central Park birdwatcher Christian Cooper on why racist ‘incident’ won’t define him”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
    1 more example

    Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.

    1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 168

Origin

  1. Old Tupitangará
  2. Portuguesetangará
  3. translingualTanagra
  4. Englishtanager

From translingual Tanagra, from Portuguese tangará, from Old Tupi tangará.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan tàngara
  • tàngaraAmerican passerine birds
Finnish tangara
  • tangaraAmerican passerine birds
German Tangare
  • TangareAmerican passerine birds
Japanese 風琴鳥
  • 風琴鳥 (fuukin-chou)American passerine birds
Korean 풍금조
  • 풍금조 (punggeumjo)American passerine birds
Portuguese saíra, saí
  • saíraAmerican passerine birds
  • saíAmerican passerine birds
Russian танагровые
  • танагровые (tanagrovyje)American passerine birds
Spanish tángara
  • tángaraAmerican passerine birds
Welsh tanagr
  • tanagrAmerican passerine birds

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

tanager. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tanager

MLA

“tanager.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tanager. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tanager,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tanager.

Source: tanager on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.