The Collaborative International Dictionary
Nonpareil \Non`pa*reil"\, n. [See Nonpareil, a. ]
Something of unequaled excellence; a peerless thing or person; a nonesuch; -- often used as a name.
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[F. nonpareille.] (Print.) A size of type next smaller than minion and next larger than agate (or ruby).
Note: This line is printed in the type called nonpareil.
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(Zo["o]l.)
A beautifully colored finch ( Passerina ciris), native of the Southern United States. The male has the head and neck deep blue, rump and under parts bright red, back and wings golden green, and the tail bluish purple. Called also painted bunting and painted finch.
Any other similar bird of the same genus.
(Cookery) A small sphere, less than 1 mm diamter, of colored sugar, used to decorate confections; -- usually used in the plural as though the name of a substance; as, sprinkled with nonpareils.
pl. A type of candy chocolate consisting of a small flat disk of chocolate, less than one inch diameter, having nonpareils[4] sprinkled on the top; as, she ate a box of nonpareils at the movie.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A brightly-colored finch ((taxlink Passerina ciris species noshow=1)) of the southern United States 2 (vern Smith's longspur pedia=1) ((taxlink Calcarius pictus species noshow=1)).
Wikipedia
The painted bunting (Passerina ciris) is a species of bird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae, that is native to North America. The bright plumage of the male only comes in the second year of life; in the first year they can only be distinguished from the female by close inspection.
Usage examples of "painted bunting".
The hundred or so people he owned were as much a normal part of Anne's daily life as the river flowing by, as the subtle coastal change from spring to summer, as the tiny bright bird he and Anne insisted on calling a nonpareil and not a painted bunting as scientific-minded James Hamilton urged.