linnets

Noun

linnet (plural linnets)

1. A small passerine bird, the common linnet (Linaria cannabina syn. Carduelis cannabina), in the finch family Fringillidae, native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa.
   • ⁠I do but sing because I must,
     And pipe but as the linnets sing:
     And unto one her note is gay,
     ⁠For now her little ones have ranged;
     ⁠And unto one her note is changed,
     Because her brood is stol’n away.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 36

   Synonyms:

   lintwhite

2. (US) A house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), of North America.

See all 3 meanings of linnet