pewee
/ˈpi.wi/ noun
Forms pewees
- noun (countable) Any of various tyrant flycatchers of the genus Contopus.
- noun (countable, US, dialect) A woodcock.
- noun (uncountable) An American version of the children's game gilli-danda.
Synonyms
Etymology
Imitative of the vocalisations of various birds. For the passerine, originally imitative of the vocalisations of the eastern wood pewee, later extended to other members of the same genus.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A common American tyrant flycatcher (Sayornis phoebe, or S. fuscus). Called also pewit, and phoebe.
- noun The woodcock. [Local, U.S.] Wood pewee (Zoöl.), a bird (Contopus virens) similar to the pewee (See Pewee, 1), but of smaller size.
Etymology [So called from its note.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pewee”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details