canary English · revision 2375

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kəˈnɛəɹi/ ''(UK)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|frm|canarie]],^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|es|canario|t=of the Canary Islands]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline) from ''Islas Canarias'' “Canary Islands”,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|la|Canāria|t=Isle of Dogs]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU)^(Etymonline) from ''canis'' “dog”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) Pliny explained the name by the many huge dogs on the island,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) but Etymonline suggests it might instead come from the Canarii, a Berber people of the facing coast.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A light sweet wine from the Canary Islands (1584, per Barnhart and Merriam-Webster),^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) or a lively court dance (1592, per the OED).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The bird was first called the ''canary-bird'' (1576),^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) shortened to ''canary'' by 1655.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) From the bird come the colour (canary yellow) and slang senses: a female singer and an informer, who “sings” to the police.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1576 – ''canary bird''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1584 – Canary wine.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1588 – verb, to dance the canary.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1592 – a lively Spanish dance.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1655 – the songbird.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1785 – a gold coin.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1854 – adjective, bright yellow.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A small finch of the Canary Islands, greenish to yellow in the wild and bred as a yellow cage bird and singer.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A light, clear yellow colour.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(slang)'' An informer.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(slang)'' A woman singer.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A sweet white wine from the Canary Islands.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # A lively 16th-century court dance.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[canary seed]]

+ * [[canary yellow]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[canine]]

+ * [[kennel]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}