GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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1.       
   Curlew , n. [F. courlieu, corlieu, courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus courier; L. currere to run + levis light.] (Zool.) A wading bird of the genus Numenius, remarkable for its long, slender, curved bill.
   1913 Webster
   ☞ The common European curlew is Numenius arquatus. The long-billed (Numenius longirostris), the Hudsonian (Numenius Hudsonicus), and the Eskimo curlew (Numenius borealis, are American species. The name is said to imitate the note of the European species.
   1913 Webster
   Curlew Jack (Zool.) the whimbrel or lesser curlew. -- Curlew sandpiper (Zool.), a sandpiper (Tringa ferruginea or Tringa subarquata), common in Europe, rare in America, resembling a curlew in having a long, curved bill. See Illustation in Appendix.
   1913 Webster