Meanings
nounwaxwing (plural waxwings)
plural waxwings
- Any of several songbirds of the genus Bombycilla, having crested heads, and red tips to the wings.
I was the shadow of the waxwing slain By the false azure in the windowpane; I was the smudge of ashen fluff—and I Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky.
1962, Charles Kinbote [pseudonym; Vladimir Nabokov], Pale Fire, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Books, published November 1985, →ISBN
Origin
From wax + wing; so called from the wax-like tips to the secondary wing feathers.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian копринарка
- копринарка (koprinarka)songbird of genus Bombycilla
Catalan ocell sedós
- ocell sedóssongbird of genus Bombycilla
Czech brkoslav
- brkoslavsongbird of genus Bombycilla
Danish silkehale
- silkehalesongbird of genus Bombycilla
Estonian siidisaba
- siidisabasongbird of genus Bombycilla
Finnish tilhi
- tilhisongbird of genus Bombycilla
French jaseur
- jaseursongbird of genus Bombycilla
German Seidenschwanz
- Seidenschwanzsongbird of genus Bombycilla
Hungarian csonttollú
- csonttollúsongbird of genus Bombycilla
Irish sciathán céarach, síodeiteach
- sciathán céarachsongbird of genus Bombycilla
- síodeiteachsongbird of genus Bombycilla
Japanese 連雀
- 連雀 (renjaku)songbird of genus Bombycilla
Norwegian sidensvans
- sidensvanssongbird of genus Bombycilla
Polish jemiołuszka
- jemiołuszkasongbird of genus Bombycilla
Portuguese tagarela
- tagarelasongbird of genus Bombycilla
Russian свиристе́ль
- свиристе́ль (sviristélʹ)songbird of genus Bombycilla
Spanish ampelis
- ampelissongbird of genus Bombycilla
Swedish sidensvans
- sidensvanssongbird of genus Bombycilla
Welsh cynffon sidan
- cynffon sidansongbird of genus Bombycilla
Cite this entry
APA
waxwing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waxwing
MLA
“waxwing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waxwing. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “waxwing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waxwing.
Source: waxwing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.