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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
house martin
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Another ingenious construction technique is demonstrated by the house martin.
▪ The technical skill of the house martin enables it to construct gravity-defying mud nests beneath the eaves of houses.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
house martin

Martin \Mar"tin\, n. [F. martin, from the proper name Martin. Cf. Martlet.] (Zo["o]l.) One of several species of swallows, usually having the tail less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows. Note: The American purple martin, or bee martin ( Progne subis or Progne purpurea), and the European house martin, or window martin ( Hirundo urbica or Chelidon urbica), are the best known species. Bank martin.

  1. The bank swallow. See under Bank.

  2. The fairy martin. See under Fairy. Bee martin.

    1. The purple martin.

    2. The kingbird.

      Sand martin, the bank swallow.

Wiktionary
house martin

n. 1 A migratory passerine bird of the swallow family, genus ''Delichon'' 2 # The common house martin (''Delichon urbicum'').

WordNet
house martin

n. common small European martin that builds nests under the eaves of houses [syn: Delichon urbica]

Usage examples of "house martin".

With Melissa in the house Martin would of course stay in his own bed.

When they came to the back of the house Martin could see that the yard dropped down abruptly and then leveled off before meeting the neighbor's fence.