ouzel
/ˈuːzəl/ noun
Forms ouzels ousel oozel woosel
- noun (now regional) A Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula).
- noun (chiefly Canada, US) A water ouzel, an aquatic perching bird (Cinclus mexicanus).
Synonyms
dipper blackbird merl merle ousel European blackbird Turdus merula
Etymology
From Middle English osel, from Old English ōsle, from Proto-West Germanic *ą̄slā, *amslā, from Proto-Germanic *amslǭ. Cognate with German Amsel.
For the spelling, compare Early Modern English bloud (“blood”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Same as Ousel.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ouzel”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details