bird of passage
Syllables: bird of pass·ageUK/ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ//ˌbɝd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/
bird of passage noun: a migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
Noun
bird of passage (plural birds of passage)
- A migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
- There is a wonderful conformity between the vegetation of ſome plants, and the arrival of certain birds of paſſage. [Carl] Linnaeus obſerves that the wood anemone blows in Sweden on the arrival of the ſwallow; and the marſh mary-gold, Caltha, when the cuckoo ſings.1789, [Erasmus Darwin], “Canto I”, in The Botanic Garden; a Poem, in Two Parts. […], London: J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1791, →OCLC, part II (The Loves of the Plants; 3rd edition), footnote...
- And now the ladies, with their gay plumage, have flown away like foreign birds of passage, and the jolly old priests of Bacchus, in the parlour, make their libations of claret; […]1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “In Which Two Young People Understand One Another Better, Perhaps, than Ever They Did Before, without Saying So”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume I...
- Synonyms:
- migrant
- Someone passing through a place and only staying for a short time; an itinerant.
- The muſick and entertainments of Bath are over for this ſeason; and all our gay birds of paſſage have taken their flight to Briſtol-vvell, Tunbridge, Brighthelmſtone, Scarborough, Harrovvgate, &c.1771, [Tobias Smollett], “To Sir Watkin Phillips, Bart. of Jesus College, Oxon.”, in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker […], volume I, London: […] W. Johnston, […]; and B. Collins, […], →OCLC, page 150
- —one of those adventurers who deem their fortune never lies at home, and encounter great risks for the sake, not so much of their gains, as for themselves,—human birds of passage, who make life one perpetual journey in search of wealth, but who never die rich.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 197
Synonyms of bird of passage
Forms of bird of passage
| plural | birds of passage |
|---|
Origin of bird of passage
Probably a calque of Middle French oiseau de passage: oiseau (“bird”), passage (“part of a journey or route, passage”).
Questions about bird of passage
- What does bird of passage mean?
- Bird of passage means a migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
- What part of speech is bird of passage?
- Bird of passage is a noun.
- How do you pronounce bird of passage?
- Bird of passage is pronounced /ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of bird of passage?
- The plural of bird of passage is birds of passage.
Words near bird of passage in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: bird of passage (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-bird of passage.oga.
Cite this entry: “bird of passage.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/bird_of_passage. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.