chickadee

Apparent onomatopoeia from these birds' calls making a distinctive “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” sound, possibly influenced by chick or chicken.

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɪ.kəˌdi/

• Audio (US)

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chickadee (plural chickadees)

1. A small passerine bird (songbird) of the genus Parus or the family Paridae.

   Synonyms: tit, titmouse

   • 1904, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Fragments on Nature and Life”, in Poems:

     In Walden wood the chickadee / Runs round the pine and maple tree

2. Affectionate term of address.

• chickadee on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “chickadee”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.