wheelbird

W4H4E1E1L1B3I1R1D2

noun

The European goatsucker.

OriginEnglish bird ← Middle English brid ← Old English bridd →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounwheelbird (plural wheelbirds)

plural wheelbirds

  1. UKdateddialectalThe European goatsucker.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-redup.
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷekʷléh₂
  3. Proto-Germanic*hweulō
  4. Old Englishhwēol
  5. Middle Englishwhel
  6. Englishwheel
  7. Old Englishbridd
  8. Middle Englishbrid
  9. Englishbird
  10. Englishwheelbird

From wheel + bird, from the sound of its cry?

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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