AskDefine | Define weaver

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The Collaborative Dictionary

Weaver \Weav"er\, n.
One who weaves, or whose occupation is to weave. "Weavers of linen." --P. Plowman. [1913 Webster]
(Zool.) A weaver bird. [1913 Webster]
(Zool.) An aquatic beetle of the genus Gyrinus. See Whirling. [1913 Webster] Weaver bird (Zool.), any one of numerous species of Asiatic, Fast Indian, and African birds belonging to Ploceus and allied genera of the family Ploceidae. Weaver birds resemble finches and sparrows in size, colors, and shape of the bill. They construct pensile nests composed of interlaced grass and other similar materials. In some of the species the nest is retort-shaped, with the opening at the bottom of the tube. Weavers' shuttle (Zool.), an East Indian marine univalve shell (Radius volva); -- so called from its shape. See Illust. of Shuttle shell, under Shuttle. [1913 Webster]
Whirligig \Whirl"i*gig\, n. [Whirl + gig.] [1913 Webster]
A child's toy, spun or whirled around like a wheel upon an axis, or like a top. --Johnson. [1913 Webster]
Anything which whirls around, or in which persons or things are whirled about, as a frame with seats or wooden horses. [1913 Webster] With a whirligig of jubilant mosquitoes spinning about each head. --G. W. Cable. [1913 Webster]
A mediaeval instrument for punishing petty offenders, being a kind of wooden cage turning on a pivot, in which the offender was whirled round with great velocity. [1913 Webster]
(Zool.) Any one of numerous species of beetles belonging to Gyrinus and allied genera. The body is firm, oval or boatlike in form, and usually dark colored with a bronzelike luster. These beetles live mostly on the surface of water, and move about with great celerity in a gyrating, or circular, manner, but they are also able to dive and swim rapidly. The larva is aquatic. Called also weaver, whirlwig, and whirlwig beetle. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

weaver

Noun

1 a craftsman who weaves cloth
2 finch-like African and Asian colonial birds noted for their elaborately woven nests [syn: weaverbird, weaver finch]

English

Etymology

-er weaver

Pronunciation

Noun

  1. One who weaves

Related terms

Translations

For other meanings, see Weaver (disambiguation).
The Weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches.
These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia and also in Australia. The weaver group is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.
Weaver birds, also known as weaver finches, get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds'), though some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf-fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have several spherical woven nests within. The sparrow weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.
The weavers are gregarious birds which often breed colonially. The birds build their nests together,( this gives them more protection) often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females. The weaver bird colonies may be found close to water bodies. They sometimes cause crop damage, notably the Red-billed Quelea, reputed to be the world's most numerous bird.

Species list in taxonomic order

weaver in Bengali: বাবুই
weaver in German: Webervögel
weaver in Spanish: Ploceidae
weaver in Esperanto: Ploceedoj
weaver in French: Ploceidae
weaver in Italian: Ploceidae
weaver in Hungarian: Szövőmadárfélék
weaver in Malay (macrolanguage): Burung Tempua
weaver in Dutch: Wevers en verwanten
weaver in Polish: Wikłaczowate
weaver in Portuguese: Ploceinae
weaver in Russian: Ткачиковые
weaver in Finnish: Kutojat
weaver in Swedish: Vävare
weaver in Vietnamese: Họ Rồng rộc
weaver in Ukrainian: Ткачики
weaver in Chinese: 织布鸟科
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