Word of the day: Corvine

Corvine

[KOR-vahyn]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 17th century

Of or like a raven or crow, especially in color.

Examples of corvine in a sentence

"The bird was definitely a pigeon, but it was so dark it looked corvine."

"My nana’s parrot was brightly colored, but it had a distinctly corvine cleverness."

About Corvine

“Corvine” is based on the Latin “corvinus,” meaning “related to crows and ravens” (from “Corvus,” meaning “crow”).

Did you Know?

While “corvine” is sometimes used to describe a dark color like that of crows and ravens, it can also be used to describe a bird of remarkable intelligence, as crows are believed to be some of the most clever creatures in the animal kingdom. Crows and their relatives — which include ravens, jays, and magpies — not only use tools, but also work in partnership with one another to achieve goals. They have the ability to remember human faces for long periods of time and communicate using a language of hundreds of distinct “words.” Researchers in 2020 revealed that crows are not just clever, but also self-aware, capable of understanding the limits of their intelligence, and of reflecting on what they know — a level of corvine consciousness scientists used to believe was unique to humans.