passerine
adjective
pas·ser·ine
Ë?pa-sÉ™-ËŒrÄ«n 
: of or relating to the largest order (Passeriformes) of birds which includes over half of all living birds and consists chiefly of altricial songbirds of perching habits compare oscine
passerine
noun
Examples of passerine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All of these things still happen and are important for understanding evolution, but snakes (and similarly diverse animal groups like rodents and passerine birds) suggest that maybe big, sudden jumps are part of how the tree of life has grown too.
—
Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
At that time, very little was known about this passerine bird endemic to São Miguel Island in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal in the Atlantic.
—Anne Pinto-Rodrigues, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Sep. 2023
This poem ached to swoon at the skill and ardor laid at her passerine feet.
—Laura Reece Hogan, Scientific American, 1 June 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
At that time, very little was known about this passerine bird endemic to São Miguel Island in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal in the Atlantic.
—Anne Pinto-Rodrigues, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Sep. 2023
This poem ached to swoon at the skill and ardor laid at her passerine feet.
—Laura Reece Hogan, Scientific American, 1 June 2024
Dictionary Entries Near passerine
Cite this Entry
“Passerine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passerine. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share