goldfinch
/ˈɡoʊldˌfɪnt͡ʃ/ noun, proper noun
Forms goldfinches
- noun A European goldfinch, Eurasian goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
- noun An American goldfinch (Spinus tristis, syn. Carduelis tristis)
- noun Lawrence's goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei, syn. Carduelis lawrencei)
- noun A lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria, syn. Carduelis psaltria).
- noun (UK, slang, obsolete) A sovereign (the coin).
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
New World goldfinch yellowbird Spinus tristis Carduelis carduelis
Etymology
From Middle English goldfinch, goldfynch, goldefynch, from Old English goldfinċ, equivalent to gold + finch. Compare West Frisian goudfink (“goldfinch”), Dutch goudvink (“bullfinch”), German Goldfink (“goldfinch”), Danish guldfink (“goldfinch”), Icelandic gullfinka (“goldfinch”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Note: The name is also applied to other yellow finches, esp. to several additional American species of Spinus.
Etymology [AS. goldfinc. See Gold, and Finch.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “goldfinch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details