magpie

Meanings

Noun

• One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
• A superficially similar Australian bird, Gymnorhina tibicen or Cracticus tibicen.
• Someone who displays a magpie-like quality such as hoarding or stealing objects.
• A fan or member of Newcastle United F.C.
• The third circle on a target, between the inner and outer.
• A halfpenny.

Verb

• To mark with patches of black and white or light and dark.
• To steal or hoard (items) as magpies are believed to do.
• To talk idly; to talk about other people's private business.

Origin

• From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- ("woodpecker, magpie").