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chuck-will's-widow

[ chuhk-wilz-wid-oh ]

noun

  1. a goatsucker, Caprimulgus carolinensis, of the southern U.S., resembling the whippoorwill but larger.


chuck-will's-widow

noun

  1. a large North American nightjar, Caprimulgus carolinensis, similar to the whippoorwill
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of chuck-will's-widow1

First recorded in 1785–95; fanciful representation of its incessant call

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