Word Study
shrieval |
shrievalty |
shrieve |
shrift |
shright |
Shrike
| shrike-like
| shrill
| shrill-gorged
| shrill-tongued
| shrilling
Shrike
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun Shrike has 1 sense
- shrike(n = noun.animal) Array - any of numerous Old World birds having a strong hooked bill that feed on smaller animals; Array is a kind of oscine, oscine bird
is a member of family laniidae, laniidae
has particulars: butcherbird, lanius lucovicianus, loggerhead shrike, lanius ludovicianus migrans, migrant shrike, bush shrike
CIDE DICTIONARY
Shrike, n. [Akin to Icel. skrīkja a shrieker, the shrike, and E. shriek; cf. AS. scrīc a thrush. See Shriek, v. i. ].
Any one of numerous species of oscinine birds of the family Laniidæ , having a strong hooked bill, toothed at the tip. Most shrikes are insectivorous, but the common European gray shrike (Lanius excubitor ), the great northern shrike (L. borealis ), and several others, kill mice, small birds, etc., and often impale them on thorns, and are, on that account called also butcher birds . See under Butcher. [1913 Webster]
" The ant shrikes, or bush shrikes, are clamatorial birds of the family Formicaridæ . The cuckoo shrikes of the East Indies and Australia are Oscines of the family Campephagidæ . The drongo shrikes of the same regions belong to the related family Dicruridæ . See Drongo ."
[1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
Shrike, n. any bird of the family Laniidae, with a strong hooked and toothed bill, that impales its prey of small birds and insects on thorns. Also called butcher-bird.
Etymology
perh. rel. to OE scric thrush, MLG schrik corncrake (imit.): cf. SHRIEK
For further exploring for "Shrike" in Webster Dictionary Online