Found 2 items, similar to Columba livia.
English → English (WordNet)
Definition: Columba livia
Columba livia
n : pale gray Eurasian pigeon having black-striped wings from
which most domestic species are descended [syn:
rock dove
,
rock pigeon]
English → English (gcide)
Definition: Columba livia
Homing
\Hom"ing\ (h[=o]m"[i^]ng), p. a.
Home-returning; -- used specifically of carrier pigeons.
[1913 Webster]
Homing pigeon, any pigeon trained to return home from a
distance. Also called
carrier pigeon. Most are bred from
the domestic pigeon
Columba livia. Homing pigeons are
used for sending back messages or for flying races. By
carrying the birds away and releasing them at gradually
increasing distances from home, they may be trained to
return with more or less certainty and promptness from
distances up to four or five hundred miles. The birds
typically do not stop on their way home, and may average
as much as 60 miles per hour on their return trip. If the
distance is increased much beyond 400 miles, the birds are
unable to cover it without stopping for a prolonged rest,
and their return becomes doubtful. The record for returnig
from a distance is close to 1,200 miles. Homing pigeons
are not bred for fancy points or special colors, but for
strength, speed, endurance, and intelligence or homing
instinct. Although used since ancient times, homing
pigeons have been largely displaced for practical purposes
by radio and electronic communications, but they are still
used in some special situations at the end of the 20th
century. They were used in military operations as recently
as in World War II.
[Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]
Pigeon
\Pi"geon\, n. [F., fr. L. pipio a young pipping or
chirping bird, fr. pipire to peep, chirp. Cf.
Peep to
chirp.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any bird of the order Columb[ae], of which
numerous species occur in nearly all parts of the world.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The common domestic pigeon, or dove, was derived from
the Old World rock pigeon or rock dove (
Columba livia
), common in cities. It has given rise to
numerous very remarkable varieties, such as the
carrier, fantail, nun, pouter, tumbler, etc. The common
wild pigeon of the Eastern United States is the
Mourning dove (
Zenaida macroura, called also
Carolina dove). Before the 19th century, the most
common pigeon was the passenger pigeon, but that
species is now extinct. See
Passenger pigeon, and
Carolina dove under
Dove. See, also,
Fruit pigeon
,
Ground pigeon,
Queen pigeon,
Stock pigeon
, under
Fruit,
Ground, etc.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
2. An unsuspected victim of sharpers; a gull. [Slang]
[1913 Webster]
Blue pigeon (Zo["o]l.), an Australian passerine bird
(
Graucalus melanops); -- called also
black-faced crow.
Green pigeon (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of Old
World pigeons belonging to the family
Treronid[ae].
Imperial pigeon (Zo["o]l.), any one of the large Asiatic
fruit pigeons of the genus
Carpophada.
Pigeon berry (Bot.), the purplish black fruit of the
pokeweed; also, the plant itself. See
Pokeweed.
Pigeon English [perhaps a corruption of business English],
an extraordinary and grotesque dialect, employed in the
commercial cities of China, as the medium of communication
between foreign merchants and the Chinese. Its base is
English, with a mixture of Portuguese and Hindustani.
--Johnson's Cyc.
Pigeon grass (Bot.), a kind of foxtail grass (
Setaria glauca
), of some value as fodder. The seeds are eagerly
eaten by pigeons and other birds.
Pigeon hawk. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A small American falcon (
Falco columbarius). The
adult male is dark slate-blue above, streaked with
black on the back; beneath, whitish or buff, streaked
with brown. The tail is banded.
(b) The American sharp-shinned hawk (
Accipiter velox or
Accipiter fuscus).
Pigeon hole.
(a) A hole for pigeons to enter a pigeon house.
(b) See
Pigeonhole.
(c) pl. An old English game, in which balls were rolled
through little arches. --Halliwell.
Pigeon house, a dovecote.
Pigeon pea (Bot.), the seed of
Cajanus Indicus; a kind of
pulse used for food in the East and West Indies; also, the
plant itself.
Pigeon plum (Bot.), the edible drupes of two West African
species of
Chrysobalanus (
Chrysobalanus ellipticus and
Chrysobalanus luteus).
Pigeon tremex. (Zo["o]l.) See under
Tremex.
Pigeon wood (Bot.), a name in the West Indies for the wood
of several very different kinds of trees, species of
Dipholis,
Diospyros, and
Coccoloba.
Pigeon woodpecker (Zo["o]l.), the flicker.
Prairie pigeon. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The upland plover.
(b) The golden plover. [Local, U.S.]
[1913 Webster]
Rock
\Rock\, n. [OF. roke, F. roche; cf. Armor. roc'h, and AS.
rocc.]
1. A large concreted mass of stony material; a large fixed
stone or crag. See
Stone.
[1913 Webster]
Come one, come all! this rock shall fly
From its firm base as soon as I. --Sir W.
Scott.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Geol.) Any natural deposit forming a part of the earth's
crust, whether consolidated or not, including sand, earth,
clay, etc., when in natural beds.
[1913 Webster]
3. That which resembles a rock in firmness; a defense; a
support; a refuge.
[1913 Webster]
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress. --2 Sam. xxii.
2.
[1913 Webster]
4. Fig.: Anything which causes a disaster or wreck resembling
the wreck of a vessel upon a rock.
[1913 Webster]
5. (Zo["o]l.) The striped bass. See under
Bass.
[1913 Webster]
Note: This word is frequently used in the formation of
self-explaining compounds; as, rock-bound, rock-built,
rock-ribbed, rock-roofed, and the like.
[1913 Webster]
Rock alum. [Probably so called by confusion with F. roche a
rock.] Same as
Roche alum.
Rock barnacle (Zo["o]l.), a barnacle (
Balanus balanoides)
very abundant on rocks washed by tides.
Rock bass. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The stripped bass. See under
Bass.
(b) The goggle-eye.
(c) The cabrilla. Other species are also locally called
rock bass.
Rock builder (Zo["o]l.), any species of animal whose
remains contribute to the formation of rocks, especially
the corals and Foraminifera.
Rock butter (Min.), native alum mixed with clay and oxide
of iron, usually in soft masses of a yellowish white
color, occuring in cavities and fissures in argillaceous
slate.
Rock candy, a form of candy consisting of crystals of pure
sugar which are very hard, whence the name.
Rock cavy. (Zo["o]l.) See
Moco.
Rock cod (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A small, often reddish or brown, variety of the cod
found about rocks andledges.
(b) A California rockfish.
Rock cook. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A European wrasse (
Centrolabrus exoletus).
(b) A rockling.
Rock cork (Min.), a variety of asbestus the fibers of which
are loosely interlaced. It resembles cork in its texture.
Rock crab (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of large
crabs of the genus
C, as the two species of the New
England coast (
Cancer irroratus and
Cancer borealis).
See Illust. under
Cancer.
Rock cress (Bot.), a name of several plants of the cress
kind found on rocks, as
Arabis petr[ae]a,
Arabis lyrata
, etc.
Rock crystal (Min.), limpid quartz. See
Quartz, and under
Crystal.
Rock dove (Zo["o]l.), the rock pigeon; -- called also
rock doo
.
Rock drill, an implement for drilling holes in rock; esp.,
a machine impelled by steam or compressed air, for
drilling holes for blasting, etc.
Rock duck (Zo["o]l.), the harlequin duck.
Rock eel. (Zo["o]l.) See
Gunnel.
Rock goat (Zo["o]l.), a wild goat, or ibex.
Rock hopper (Zo["o]l.), a penguin of the genus
Catarractes. See under
Penguin.
Rock kangaroo. (Zo["o]l.) See
Kangaroo, and
Petrogale.
Rock lobster (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
large spinose lobsters of the genera
Panulirus and
Palinurus. They have no large claws. Called also
spiny lobster
, and
sea crayfish.
Rock meal (Min.), a light powdery variety of calcite
occuring as an efflorescence.
Rock milk. (Min.) See
Agaric mineral, under
Agaric.
Rock moss, a kind of lichen; the cudbear. See
Cudbear.
Rock oil. See
Petroleum.
Rock parrakeet (Zo["o]l.), a small Australian parrakeet
(
Euphema petrophila), which nests in holes among the
rocks of high cliffs. Its general color is yellowish olive
green; a frontal band and the outer edge of the wing
quills are deep blue, and the central tail feathers bluish
green.
Rock pigeon (Zo["o]l.), the wild pigeon (
Columba livia)
Of Europe and Asia, from which the domestic pigeon was
derived. See Illust. under
Pigeon.
Rock pipit. (Zo["o]l.) See the Note under
Pipit.
Rock plover. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The black-bellied, or whistling, plover.
(b) The rock snipe.
Rock ptarmigan (Zo["o]l.), an arctic American ptarmigan
(
Lagopus rupestris), which in winter is white, with the
tail and lores black. In summer the males are grayish
brown, coarsely vermiculated with black, and have black
patches on the back.
Rock rabbit (Zo["o]l.), the hyrax. See
Cony, and
Daman.
Rock ruby (Min.), a fine reddish variety of garnet.
Rock salt (Min.), cloride of sodium (common salt) occuring
in rocklike masses in mines; mineral salt; salt dug from
the earth. In the United States this name is sometimes
given to salt in large crystals, formed by evaporation
from sea water in large basins or cavities.
Rock seal (Zo["o]l.), the harbor seal. See
Seal.
Rock shell (Zo["o]l.), any species of Murex, Purpura, and
allied genera.
Rock snake (Zo["o]l.), any one of several large pythons;
as, the royal
rock snake (
Python regia) of Africa, and
the
rock snake of India (
Python molurus). The
Australian rock snakes mostly belong to the allied genus
Morelia.
Rock snipe (Zo["o]l.), the purple sandpiper (
Tringa maritima
); -- called also
rock bird,
rock plover,
winter snipe.
Rock soap (Min.), a kind of clay having a smooth, greasy
feel, and adhering to the tongue.
Rock sparrow. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) Any one of several species of Old World sparrows of
the genus
Petronia, as
Petronia stulla, of Europe.
(b) A North American sparrow (
Puc[ae]a ruficeps).
Rock tar, petroleum.
Rock thrush (Zo["o]l.), any Old World thrush of the genus
Monticola, or
Petrocossyphus; as, the European rock
thrush (
Monticola saxatilis), and the blue rock thrush
of India (
Monticola cyaneus), in which the male is blue
throughout.
Rock tripe (Bot.), a kind of lichen (
Umbilicaria Dillenii
) growing on rocks in the northen parts of
America, and forming broad, flat, coriaceous, dark fuscous
or blackish expansions. It has been used as food in cases
of extremity.
Rock trout (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of marine
food fishes of the genus
Hexagrammus, family
Chirad[ae], native of the North Pacific coasts; --
called also
sea trout,
boregat,
bodieron, and
starling.
Rock warbler (Zo["o]l.), a small Australian singing bird
(
Origma rubricata) which frequents rocky ravines and
water courses; -- called also
cataract bird.
Rock wren (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of wrens
of the genus
Salpinctes, native of the arid plains of
Lower California and Mexico.
[1913 Webster]
Dove
\Dove\ (d[u^]v), n. [OE. dove, duve, douve, AS. d[=u]fe;
akin to OS. d[=u]ba, D. duif, OHG. t[=u]ba, G. taube, Icel.
d[=u]fa, Sw. dufva, Dan. due, Goth. d[=u]b[=o]; perh. from
the root of E. dive.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A pigeon of the genus
Columba and various
related genera. The species are numerous.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The domestic dove, including the varieties called
fantails,
tumblers,
carrier pigeons, etc., was
derived from the
rock pigeon (
Columba livia) of
Europe and Asia; the
turtledove of Europe, celebrated
for its sweet, plaintive note, is
Columba turtur or
Turtur vulgaris; the
ringdove, the largest of
European species, is
Columba palumbus; the
Carolina dove
, or
Mourning dove, is
Zenaidura macroura; the
sea dove is the little auk (
Mergulus alle or
Alle alle
). See
Turtledove,
Ground dove, and
Rock pigeon
. The dove is a symbol of peace, innocence,
gentleness, and affection; also, in art and in the
Scriptures, the typical symbol of the Holy Ghost.
[1913 Webster]
2. A word of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle.
[1913 Webster]
O my dove, . . . let me hear thy voice. --Cant. ii.
14.
[1913 Webster]
3. a person advocating peace, compromise or conciliation
rather than war or conflict. Opposite of
hawk.
[PJC]
Dove tick (Zo["o]l.), a mite (
Argas reflexus) which
infests doves and other birds.
Soiled dove, a prostitute. [Slang]