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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Psittacus erithacus

Gray \Gray\ (gr[=a]), a. [Compar. Grayer; superl. Grayest.] [OE. gray, grey, AS. gr[=ae]g, gr[=e]g; akin to D. graauw, OHG. gr[=a]o, G. grau, Dan. graa, Sw. gr[*a], Icel. gr[=a]r.]

  1. any color of neutral hue between white and black; white mixed with black, as the color of pepper and salt, or of ashes, or of hair whitened by age; sometimes, a dark mixed color; as, the soft gray eye of a dove.

    These gray and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.
    --Sir I. Newton.

  2. Gray-haired; gray-headed; of a gray color; hoary.

  3. Old; mature; as, gray experience. -- Ames.

  4. gloomy; dismal.

    Gray antimony (Min.), stibnite.

    Gray buck (Zo["o]l.), the chickara.

    Gray cobalt (Min.), smaltite.

    Gray copper (Min.), tetrahedrite.

    Gray duck (Zo["o]l.), the gadwall; also applied to the female mallard.

    Gray falcon (Zo["o]l.) the peregrine falcon.

    Gray Friar. See Franciscan, and Friar.

    Gray hen (Zo["o]l.), the female of the blackcock or black grouse. See Heath grouse.

    Gray mill or Gray millet (Bot.), a name of several plants of the genus Lithospermum; gromwell.

    Gray mullet (Zo["o]l.) any one of the numerous species of the genus Mugil, or family Mugilid[ae], found both in the Old World and America; as the European species ( Mugilid[ae] capito, and Mugilid[ae] auratus), the American striped mullet ( Mugilid[ae] albula), and the white or silver mullet ( Mugilid[ae] Braziliensis). See Mullet.

    Gray owl (Zo["o]l.), the European tawny or brown owl ( Syrnium aluco). The great gray owl ( Ulula cinerea) inhabits arctic America.

    Gray parrot (Zo["o]l.), an African parrot ( Psittacus erithacus), very commonly domesticated, and noted for its aptness in learning to talk. Also called jako.

    Gray pike. (Zo["o]l.) See Sauger.

    Gray snapper (Zo["o]l.), a Florida fish; the sea lawyer. See Snapper.

    Gray snipe (Zo["o]l.), the dowitcher in winter plumage.

    Gray whale (Zo["o]l.), a rather large and swift whale of the northern Pacific ( Eschrichtius robustus, formerly Rhachianectes glaucus), having short jaws and no dorsal fin. It grows to a length of 50 feet (someimes 60 feet). It was formerly taken in large numbers in the bays of California, and is now rare; -- called also grayback, devilfish, and hardhead. It lives up to 50 or 60 years and adults weigh from 20 to 40 tons.

Psittacus erithacus

Parrot \Par"rot\ (p[a^]r"r[u^]t), n. [Prob. fr. F. Pierrot, dim. of Pierre Peter. F. pierrot is also the name of the sparrow. Cf. Paroquet, Petrel, Petrify.]

  1. (Zo["o]l.) In a general sense, any bird of the order Psittaci.

  2. (Zo["o]l.) Any species of Psittacus, Chrysotis, Pionus, and other genera of the family Psittacid[ae], as distinguished from the parrakeets, macaws, and lories. They have a short rounded or even tail, and often a naked space on the cheeks. The gray parrot, or jako ( Psittacus erithacus) of Africa (see Jako), and the species of Amazon, or green, parrots ( Chrysotis) of America, are examples. Many species, as cage birds, readily learn to imitate sounds, and to repeat words and phrases.

    Carolina parrot (Zo["o]l.), the Carolina parrakeet. See Parrakeet.

    Night parrot, or Owl parrot. (Zo["o]l.) See Kakapo.

    Parrot coal, cannel coal; -- so called from the crackling and chattering sound it makes in burning. [Eng. & Scot.]

    Parrot green. (Chem.) See Scheele's green, under Green, n.

    Parrot weed (Bot.), a suffrutescent plant ( Bocconia frutescens) of the Poppy family, native of the warmer parts of America. It has very large, sinuate, pinnatifid leaves, and small, panicled, apetalous flowers.

    Parrot wrasse, Parrot fish (Zo["o]l.), any fish of the genus Scarus. One species ( Scarus Cretensis), found in the Mediterranean, is esteemed by epicures, and was highly prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Psittacus erithacus

Jako \Jak"o\ (j[a^]k"[-o]), n. (Zo["o]l.) An African parrot ( Psittacus erithacus), very commonly kept as a cage bird; -- called also gray parrot.