widow bird

noun

Any of several species of birds in the family Viduidae, incorporating whydahs and widow finches.

Similar
whydahwhidah
OriginLatin vidua →
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Meanings

nounwidow bird (plural widow birds)

plural widow birds · alternative widowbird

  1. Any of several species of birds in the family Viduidae, incorporating whydahs and widow finches.
  2. Any of several species of birds in the genus Euplectes.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounmostly black African weaverbird

Similar
whydahwhidah
Broader
weaverweaverbirdweaver finch
Also see
whydah

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinvidua“widow”
  2. Englishwidow bird

Compound of widow + bird. The name for the family Viduidae derives from the genus name Vidua, from post-classical Latin vidua (“widow”) for males' black plumage, which resembles the mourning clothes of a widow. Compare whydah, from Whydah, a city in the Kingdom of Dahomey, now Ouidah, Benin. The terms widow-bird and whydah-bird influenced one another due to association of one species with the city.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish wdówka
  • wdówkabirds of family Viduidae
Zulu sakabula
  • sakabulaEuplectes sp.
Cite this entry
APA

widow bird. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow%20bird

MLA

“widow bird.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow%20bird. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “widow bird,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widow%20bird.

Source: widow bird on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.