Meaning and Origin
What does the name Starling mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Starling
User Submitted Origins
English
60%
Irish
10%
American
10%
Chinese
10%
French
10%
User Submitted Meanings
- A submission from Virginia, U.S. says the name Starling means "Bird".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Star"ling
Senses
- [Zoöl] Any passerine bird belonging to Sturnus and allied genera. The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is dark brown or greenish black, with a metallic gloss, and spotted with yellowish white. It is a sociable bird, and builds about houses, old towers, etc. Called also stare, and starred. The pied starling of India is Sternopastor contra.
- [Zoöl] A California fish; the rock trout.
- A structure of piles driven round the piers of a bridge for protection and support; -- called also sterling.
Etymology: OE. sterlyng, a dim. of OE. stare, AS. stær; akin to AS. stearn, G. star staar, OHG. stara, Icel. starri stari, Sw. stare, Dan. stær, L. sturnus. Cf. Stare a starling
Other Dictionary Sources
- Gregarious birds native to the Old World
Wiktionary
From Middle English starling, sterling, sterlinge, from Old English starlinc, stærlinc (“starling”), from stær (“starling”) + -linc, -ling (diminutive suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch sterlinck (“starling”).
- A family, Sturnidae, of passerine birds.
- The common starling, Sturnus vulgaris, which has dark, iridescent plumage.
- A structure of pilings that protects the piers of a bridge.
- A California fish, the rock trout, Hexagrammos, especially, Hexagrammos decagrammus, the boregat or bodieron.