thrush

thrush
thrush1
—thrushlike, adj.
/thrush/, n.
1. any of numerous, medium-sized songbirds of the family Turdinae, usually dull brown and often speckled below, and including many outstanding singers.
2. any of various superficially similar birds, as the water thrushes.
3. Slang. a female professional singer, esp. of popular songs.
[bef. 900; ME thrusche, OE thrysce; c. OHG drosca]
thrush2
/thrush/, n.
1. Pathol. a disease, esp. in children, characterized by whitish spots and ulcers on the membranes of the mouth, fauces, etc., caused by a parasitic fungus, Candida albicans.
2. Vet. Pathol. (in horses) a diseased condition of the frog of the foot.
[1655-65; akin to Dan tröske, Sw torsk]

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Any of about 300 species of songbirds (family Turdidae) that usually have a slender bill and "booted" lower legs (i.e., covered in front with one long scale instead of many short ones).

Thrushes are 5–12 in. (13–30 cm) long. Most have dull plumage, often with patches of bright yellow, red, or blue. They are found virtually worldwide but are most diverse in the Old World, especially in Africa. The northern species are strong migrants. Occupying a wide range of arboreal and terrestrial habitats, thrushes eat insects and fruit; a few eat snails or earthworms. They lay three to six eggs in an open cup-shaped nest; a few occupy cavities. Some of the thrushes, including the hermit thrush and wood thrush, have notably beautiful songs. See also blackbird, bluebird, chat, ouzel, redstart, robin.

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▪ bird
      any of about 300 members of the songbird family Turdidae, treated by many modern authorities as a subfamily of the Old World insect eaters, family Muscicapidae. The thrushes are sometimes divided into two groups, the chat-thrushes (subfamily Saxicolinae) and the true, or typical, thrushes (Turdinae). Thrushes are widely considered closely related to the Old World warblers (Sylviidae) and flycatchers (Muscicapidae), with which they intergrade through several genera.

      Generally, thrushes are slender-billed songbirds with the tarsus (lower leg) “booted”; i.e., covered in front with a single long scale instead of many short ones. The young are usually spotted in the first plumage, and there is a single annual molt.

      The chat-thrushes, e.g., the western bluebird (Sialia mexicanus), are generally smaller, with slenderer legs, thinner bill with fewer bristles at its base, and more colourful plumage (see chat-thrush).

      Thrushes vary from 13 to 30 centimetres (5 to 12 inches) in length. They are usually not brightly coloured; but many have patches of bright yellow, red, or blue on otherwise plain plumage.

      Thrushes occur virtually worldwide but are most diverse in the Old World, especially in Africa. The northern species are strong migrants. Occupying a wide range of arboreal and terrestrial habitats, thrushes eat insects and fruit; a few take snails or earthworms. They build open cup-shaped nests (or, in the case of a few of the chat-thrushes, occupy cavities), in which they lay three to six pale, often bluish eggs.

      Representative true thrushes are species of the genus Turdus, which include the blackbird, fieldfare, ouzel, and redwing of Europe, as well as the American robin. Other true thrush groups are called ground thrush and nightingale thrush.

      A number of unrelated birds are called thrushes by reason of resemblance to turdids, including the antthrush (see antbird); babbling thrush (see babbler); jay thrush and Chinese thrush (see laughing thrush); jewelthrush (see pitta); and wrenthrush (q.v.).

also called  Oral Candidiasis, Mycotic Stomatitis, or White Mouth,  

      fungus infection characterized by raised white patches on the tongue that resemble milk curds. When gently scraped off, these patches reveal inflamed tissue that tends to bleed easily. Beginning on the tongue, the creamy white spots can spread to the gums, palate, tonsils, throat, and elsewhere. The causative organism, the yeastlike fungus Candida albicans, is ubiquitous and needs only favourable conditions in the mouth and a weakened host to flourish. Although most common among infants, thrush sometimes occurs in the elderly, immune-suppressed patients, or others in whom the normal balance of microorganisms in the mouth has been upset. The spread of the infection in the oral cavity usually produces only slight symptoms of fever and gastrointestinal irritation, however. Thrush is generally cured by the antibiotics nystatin or clotrimazole taken as mouthwashes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Thrush — Thrush, n. [OE. [thorn]rusche, AS. [thorn]rysce; akin to OHG. drosca, droscea, droscela, and E. throstle. Cf. {Throstle}.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of numerous species of singing birds belonging to {Turdus} and allied genera. They are noted for the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thrush — the bird [OE] and thrush the disease [17] are presumably different words, although the origins of the latter are obscure. The bird name goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *thruskjōn, and has relatives in Latin turdus ‘thrush’ (source of English… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • thrush — the bird [OE] and thrush the disease [17] are presumably different words, although the origins of the latter are obscure. The bird name goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *thruskjōn, and has relatives in Latin turdus ‘thrush’ (source of English… …   Word origins

  • thrush — thrush1 [thrush] n. [ME thrusch < OE thrysce < IE * trozdos , thrush] 1. any of a large family (Turdidae) of passerine birds, including the robin, wood thrush, and hermit thrush of North America and the song thrush and blackbird of Europe ☆ …   English World dictionary

  • Thrush — Thrush, n. [Akin to Dan. tr[ o]ske, Sw. trosk; cf. Dan. t[ o]r dry, Sw. torr, Icel. [thorn]urr, AS. [thorn]yrr, OE. thrust thrist, E. thrist.] 1. (Med.) An affection of the mouth, fauces, etc., common in newly born children, characterized by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thrush — Ⅰ. thrush [1] ► NOUN ▪ a small or medium sized songbird with a brown back and spotted breast. ORIGIN Old English, related to THROSTLE(Cf. ↑T). Ⅱ. thrush [2] ► NOUN …   English terms dictionary

  • thrush — (thrush) Infection of the oral mucous membrane by the fungus Candida albicans; also known as oral candidiasis …   Dictionary of microbiology

  • thrush — [θrʌʃ] n [: Old English; Origin: thrysce] 1.) a brown bird with spots on its front 2.) [U] an infectious disease that can affect a person s ↑vagina or mouth …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • thrush — [ θrʌʃ ] noun 1. ) count a brown bird that has spots on its front 2. ) uncount an infectious disease in which you have white spots inside your mouth a ) an infectious disease in which a white substance is produced inside a woman s VAGINA …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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