Link Centre Dictionary

nightjar

night·jar

UK/ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑː/ US/ˈnaɪtd͡ʒɑɹ/ uncommon

noun

1.

mainly crepuscular or nocturnal nonpasserine birds with mottled grayish-brown plumage and large eyes; feed on insects

Origin

From night + jar (“a discordant sound”), due to the bird's harsh call.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.