jacamar

[ jak-uh-mahr ]

/ ˈdʒæk əˌmɑr /

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noun

any tropical American bird of the family Galbulidae, having a long bill and usually metallic green plumage above.

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Origin of jacamar

1640–50; <French <Tupi jacamáciri

Words nearby jacamar

jabroni, Jabrud, jac, jacal, Jacalyn, jacamar, jaçana, jacaranda, jacaré, Jacareí, jacinth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jacamar in a sentence

There are four species of jacamar in Demerara; they are all beautiful; the largest, rich and superb in the extreme.
Wanderings in South America|Charles Waterton
The road was as deserted as all that part of the Jacamar Wood which lay between the Mercy and the lake.
The Secret of the Island|W.H.G. Kingston (translation from Jules Verne)
At one point, I recollect, a gold-green Jacamar sat on a log and looked at me till I was within five yards of her.
At Last|Charles Kingsley
A bird called jacamar is often taken for a kingfisher, but it has no relationship to that tribe.
Wanderings in South America|Charles Waterton

The large jacamar is pretty common about two hundred miles up the River Demerara.
Wanderings in South America|Charles Waterton

British Dictionary definitions for jacamar

jacamar

/ (ˈdʒækəˌmɑː) /

noun

any bird of the tropical American family Galbulidae, having an iridescent plumage and feeding on insects: order Piciformes (woodpeckers, etc)

Word Origin for jacamar

C19: from French, from Tupi jacamá-ciri

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