Meaning and Origin
What does the name Canary mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Canary
User Submitted Origins
English
48%
Irish
24%
Hebrew
19%
German
5%
Slavic
5%
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
adjective Ca*na"ry
Senses
- Of or pertaining to the Canary Islands; as, canary wine; canary birds.
- Of a pale yellowish color; as, Canary stone.
Etymology: F. Canarie, L. Canaria insula one of the Canary islands, said to be so called from its large dogs, fr. canis dog
noun Ca*na"ry
Senses
- Wine made in the Canary Islands; sack."A cup of canary." [Shak.]
- A canary bird.
- A pale yellow color, like that of a canary bird.
- A quick and lively dance.(Obs)"Make you dance canary With sprightly fire and motion." [Shak.]
verb Ca*na"ry
To perform the canary dance; to move nimbly; to caper.
Other Dictionary Sources
- Any of several small Old World finches
- A moderate yellow with a greenish tinge
- A female singer
- Someone acting as an informer or decoy for the police
- Having the color of a canary; of a light to moderate yellow
Wiktionary
From French canarie, from Spanish canario, from the Latin Canariae insulae (“Canary Islands”) (Spanish Islas Canarias); from the largest island Insula Canaria (“Dog Island" or "Canine Island”), named for its dogs, from canārius (“canine”), from canis (“dog”).
- A small, usually yellow, finch (genus Serinus), a songbird native to the Canary Islands.
- Any of various small birds of different countries, most of which are largely yellow in colour.
- A light, slightly greenish, yellow colour.
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- A light, sweet, white wine from the Canary Islands.
- A lively dance, possibly of Spanish origin (also called canaries).
- Any test subject, especially an inadvertent or unwilling one. (From the mining practice of using canaries to detect dangerous gases.)
- (computing) A value placed in memory such that it will be the first data corrupted by a buffer overflow, allowing the program to identify and recover from it.
- (informal) A female singer, soprano, a coloratura singer.
- (slang) An informer or snitch; a squealer.
- (slang) A (usually yellow) capsule of the short-acting barbiturate pentobarbital/pentobarbitone (Nembutal).
- (Australia, informal) A yellow sticker of unroadworthiness.