Acanthizid

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Any small insectivorous songbird belonging to the family Acanthizidae, found mainly in Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands
2. A member of the Acanthizidae, a family of small passerine birds including thornbills, gerygones and scrubwrens native to the Australasian region
3. Describing or relating to the Acanthizidae, a group of tiny perching birds of Australasia that includes the thornbills and gerygones

Etymology: Acanthizids are small songbirds of Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, including the thornbills, gerygones and scrubwrens. The name goes back to the Greek "akantha", meaning thorn or spine, the same root as English "acanthus", the prickly plant whose leaves decorate Corinthian capitals. The family name is built from the genus Acanthiza, which is most likely formed on that Greek stem, possibly with a suffix that gives a sense of "thorny" or "spiny." The ending "-id" is the standard Latinised form marking a zoological family, so an acanthizid is a bird belonging to that group.