thrush

/θrəʃ/

/θrəʃ/

Other forms: thrushes

A thrush is a small brown or gray speckled songbird. Thrushes are known for their loud, musical songs.

There are two main meanings of the noun thrush, with two completely different origins. The thrush that flies around singing a lovely song gets its name from a Germanic root, while another thrush, a type of infection, comes from a Scandinavian source. This second thrush is a yeasty fungal infection that's common in the mouth and throat of babies, appearing as distinct white patches.

Definitions of thrush

1. noun

   songbirds characteristically having brownish upper plumage with a spotted breast
   types:

   Turdus viscivorus, missel thrush, mistle thrush, mistletoe thrush

   large European thrush that feeds on mistletoe berries

   Turdus philomelos, mavis, song thrush, throstle

   common Old World thrush noted for its song

   Turdus pilaris, fieldfare, snowbird

   medium-sized Eurasian thrush seen chiefly in winter

   Turdus iliacus, redwing

   small European thrush having reddish flanks

   European blackbird, Turdus merula, blackbird, merl, merle, ousel, ouzel

   common black European thrush

   Turdus torquatus, ring blackbird, ring ouzel, ring thrush

   European thrush common in rocky areas; the male has blackish plumage with a white band around the neck

   American robin, Turdus migratorius, robin

   large American thrush having a rust-red breast and abdomen

   Turdus greyi, clay-colored robin

   robin of Mexico and Central America

   Hylocichla guttata, hermit thrush

   North American thrush noted for its complex and appealing song

   Hylocichla fuscescens, Wilson's thrush, veery

   tawny brown North American thrush noted for its song

   Hylocichla mustelina, wood thrush

   large thrush common in eastern American woodlands; noted for its melodious song

   Luscinia megarhynchos, nightingale

   European songbird noted for its melodious nocturnal song

   Luscinia luscinia, thrush nightingale

   large nightingale of eastern Europe

   Old World chat, chat

   songbirds having a chattering call

   solitaire

   a dull grey North American thrush noted for its beautiful song

   redstart, redtail

   European songbird with a reddish breast and tail; related to Old World robins

   wheatear

   small songbird of northern America and Eurasia having a distinctive white rump

   bluebird

   blue North American songbird

   Erithacus rubecola, Old World robin, redbreast, robin, robin redbreast

   small Old World songbird with a reddish breast

   Erithacus svecicus, bluethroat

   songbird of northern Europe and Asia

   bulbul

   nightingale spoken of in Persian poetry

   Saxicola torquata, stonechat

   common European chat with black plumage and a reddish-brown breast

   Saxicola rubetra, whinchat

   brown-and-buff European songbird of grassy meadows

   type of:

   oscine, oscine bird

   passerine bird having specialized vocal apparatus
2. noun

   a woman who sings popular songs
   type of:

   singer, vocaliser, vocalist, vocalizer

   a person who sings
3. noun

   candidiasis of the oral cavity; seen mostly in infants or debilitated adults
   type of:

   candidiasis, monilia disease, moniliasis

   an infection caused by fungi of the genus Monilia or Candida (especially Candida albicans)