ouzel

ouzel
/ooh"zeuhl/, n.
dipper (def. 4).
Also, ousel.
[bef. 900; ME osel merle, blackbird, OE osle, c. G Amsel; akin to L merula; see MERLE1]

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Species (Turdus torquatus) of songbird in the thrush family, characterized by a white crescent on the breast.

A blackish bird, about 10 in. (25 cm) long, it breeds locally in uplands from Britain and Norway to the Middle East. The name was formerly applied to a closely related European blackbird (T. merula). The dipper is often called water ouzel.

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▪ bird
also spelled  Ousel,  also called  Ring-ouzel 

      (species Turdus torquatus), a thrush of the family Turdidae (order Passeriformes), characterized by a white crescent on the breast. A blackish bird, 24 cm (9.5 inches) long, it breeds locally in uplands from Great Britain and Norway to the Middle East. The name ouzel was formerly applied to a closely related European blackbird (T. merula; see blackbird). For a related bird in Mexico, sometimes called black ouzel, see robin. The dipper (q.v.) is often called water ouzel.

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  • Ouzel — may refer to: Common Blackbird or Ouzel, a species of thrush, all black in the male Lord Howe Island Thrush or Ouzel, an extinct subspecies of the Island Thrush River Ouzel, a river in England, a tributary of the Great Ouse See also Ring Ouzel, a …   Wikipedia

  • ouzel — [o͞o′zəl] n. [ME osul < OE osle, akin to OHG amsala, prob. < IE base * ames < * mes > L merula, Welsh mwyalch] 1. RING OUZEL 2. WATER OUZEL …   English World dictionary

  • Ouzel — Ou zel, n. (Zo[ o]l.) Same as {Ousel}. [1913 Webster] The mellow ouzel fluted in the elm. Tennyson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ouzel — (n.) O.E. osle blackbird, from W.Gmc. *amslon (Cf. O.H.G. amsala, Ger. amsel), probably from PIE *ams black, blackbird (Cf. L. merula blackbird, Welsh mwyalch blackbird, thrush, Bret. moualch ouzel ) …   Etymology dictionary

  • ouzel — n. (also ousel) 1 = ring ouzel (see RING(1)). 2 = water ouzel. 3 archaic a blackbird. Etymology: OE osle blackbird, of unkn. orig …   Useful english dictionary

  • ouzel — Ousel Ou sel ([oo^] z l), n. [OE. osel, AS. [=o]sle; akin to G. amsel, OHG. amsala, and perh. to L. merula blackbird. Cf. {Merle}, {Amsel}.] (Zo[ o]l.) One of several species of European thrushes, especially the blackbird ({Merula merula}, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ouzel — also ousel noun Etymology: Middle English ousel, from Old English ōsle more at merle Date: before 12th century 1. a. blackbird 1a b. ring ouzel 2. dipper 1 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ouzel — noun /ˈuːz(ə)l/ a) The (European) blackbird, Turdus merula. b) An aquatic perching bird of the genus Cinclus. Syn: dipper, water ouzel …   Wiktionary

  • ouzel — [ u:z(ə)l] (also ousel) noun used in names of birds resembling the blackbird, e.g. ring ouzel. Origin OE ōsle blackbird , of Gmc origin …   English new terms dictionary

  • ouzel — /ˈuzəl/ (say oohzuhl) noun 1. (formerly) the blackbird, Turdus merula. 2. → ring ouzel. Also, ousel. {Middle English osel, from Old English ōsle} …  

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