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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

broken bird en · NOUN

Meanings

  1. A bird that is unable to fly due to one or both of its wings being broken.
    • The lifeguard said he would call animal control and I went back to stand watch over the broken bird. 2003, Krista Beth Driver, But I Want a Casserole: Diary of an Eating Disorder, Xulon Press, →ISBN, page 233:
  2. An unflyable aircraft, particularly one that has been grounded or downed.
    • He threw off his helmet, released himself from the belts, straps, hoses and wires and climbed down from the broken bird. 1999, Peter J. Azzole, Hell to Pay, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 58:
  3. (figuratively) A troubled or emotionally fragile person, especially one suffering the aftereffects of a personal trauma.
    • He was shunned by the entire community, and died shortly after, a broken bird. 1996, David Curzon, The View from Jacob's Ladder: One Hundred Midrashim, The Jewish Publication Society, →ISBN, page 93:

Forms

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broken birds Number=Plur lexicographic