Adjacent Words

Gallinule definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GAL'LINULE, n. [L. gallinula, dim. of gallina, a hen.]
A tribe of fowls of the grallic order, included under the genus Fulica, with the coot.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of various small aquatic birds of the genus Gallinula distinguished from rails by a frontal shield and a resemblance to domestic hens [syn: gallinule, marsh hen, water hen, swamphen]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin Gallinula, genus of birds, from Latin, pullet, diminutive of gallina Date: 1776 any of several aquatic birds of the rail family with long thin feet and a platelike frontal area on the head: as a. moorhen b. one (Porphyrula martinica) found from the southern United States to Argentina that is purplish blue with olive-green upperparts, a red and yellow bill, and a light blue frontal area

Britannica Concise

Any of several species of marsh birds (family Rallidae) found in temperate, tropical, and subtropical regions worldwide. Gallinules are about 12-18 in. (30-45 cm) long, with a compressed body like those of the related rails and coots. They have a fleshy plate on the forehead and long, thin toes that enable them to run over floating vegetation. Many species have brightly colored areas of plumage or skin. They are noisy, inquisitive, and less secretive than most rails. Many are migratory. They build a bulky nest of rushes on or near the water. See also moorhen.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a moorhen. 2 any of various similar birds of the genus Porphyrula or Porphyrio. Etymology: mod.L gallinula, dimin. of L gallina hen f. gallus cock

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gallinule Gal"li*nule, n. [L. gallinula chicken, dim. of gallina hen: cf. F. gallinule.] (Zo["o]l.) One of several wading birds, having long, webless toes, and a frontal shield, belonging to the family Rallidae. They are remarkable for running rapidly over marshes and on floating plants. The purple gallinule of America is Ionornis Martinica, that of the Old World is Porphyrio porphyrio. The common European gallinule (Gallinula chloropus) is also called moor hen, water hen, water rail, moor coot, night bird, and erroneously dabchick. Closely related to it is the Florida gallinule (Gallinula galeata). Note: The purple gallinule of Southern Europe and Asia was formerly believed to be able to detect and report adultery, and for that reason, chiefly, it was commonly domesticated by the ancients.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Water-hen, moor-hen, spotted crake (Crex porzana).