Added 9 October 2026
magpie
/ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/ noun
In Latin: pīca Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about magpie at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call.
- Someone who collects things that have been discarded by others.
- An obnoxious and foolish and loquacious talker.
Origin
From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie (“magpie”), from Middle English pie, pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker, magpie”). Displaced native Old English agu (“magpie”) and Middle English aguster (“magpie”), whence English haggister.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)