noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈiːɡɹɪt/
General-American:/ˈiɡɹɪt/
General-American:/ˈiˌɡɹɛt/
General-American:/iˈɡɹɛt/
General-American:/ˈɛɡɹɪt/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːɡɹɪt
rhymes with -iːɡɹɛt
rhymes with -ɛt
rhymes with -ɛɡɹɪt
CMU ARPABET:EH1 G R AH0 T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A plume or tuft of feathers worn as a part of a headdress, or anything imitating such an ornament.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: aigrette
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The flying feathery or hairy crown of seeds or achenes, such as the down of the thistle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
any of various usually white herons having long plumes during breeding season
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: heron
Narrower terms: snowy egret, snowy heron, Egretta thula, little egret, Egretta garzetta, great white heron, Casmerodius albus, American egret, Egretta albus, cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis
History
Etymology
From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman egret, aigrette (“egret”), from Old Occitan aigreta, diminutive of aigron (“heron”), from Medieval Latin hairo, from Frankish *haigro (“heron”). Cognate with Old High German heigaro (“heron”), Old English hrāgra (“heron”). Doublet of aigrette. More at heron.
Across languages
Translations
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
أَبُو قِرْدَان
(ʔabū qirdān)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Arabic:
أبو قردان
(ʔabō ʔerdān)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Assamese:
বগলী
(bogoli)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Assamese:
বগ
(bog)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Bengali:
বক
(bok)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Bulgarian:
бя́ла ча́пла
(bjála čápla)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Catalan:
agró
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Catalan:
martinet
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Chinese:
白鷺 /白鹭
(pe̍h-lō͘)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Chinese:
白鷺鷥 /白鹭鸶
(pe̍h-lō͘-si)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Chinese Mandarin:
白鷺 /白鹭
(báilù)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Czech:
volavka
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Dutch:
reiger
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Esperanto:
egreto
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Finnish:
jalohaikara
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
French:
aigrette
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Galician:
garzota
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Galician:
garza
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Georgian:
ოყარი
(oq̇ari)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
German:
Reiher
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Greek:
τσικνιάς
(tsikniás)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Greek:
χουλιάρι
(chouliári)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Hindi:
बगुला
(bagulā)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Hungarian:
kócsag
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Irish:
éigrit
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Italian:
garzetta
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Italian:
airone guardabuoi
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Japanese:
白鷺
(shirasagi)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Japanese:
シラサギ
(shirasagi)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Javanese:
kuntul
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Korean:
왜가리
(waegari)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Korean:
해오라기
(hae'oragi)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Korean:
백로
(baengno)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Malay:
bangau
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Malayalam:
വെള്ളരിക്കൊക്ക്
(veḷḷarikkokkŭ)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Malayalam:
കൊക്ക്
(kokkŭ)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Navajo:
toohjįʼ ndiigaii
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Persian:
قار
(qâr)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Polish:
czapla
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Portuguese:
garça
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Rohingya:
𐴁𐴡𐴒𐴝
(boga)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Romanian:
egretă
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Romanian:
stârc alb
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Russian:
бе́лая ца́пля
(bélaja cáplja)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Russian:
ца́пля
(cáplja)
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Spanish:
garza
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Spanish:
garceta
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Sranan Tongo:
sabaku
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Turkish:
akbalıkçıl
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Vietnamese:
cò
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Welsh:
crëyr
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Welsh:
adar y bwn
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
Wolof:
xodd gi
— Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea
