starling¹

[stahr-ling] /ˈstɑr lɪŋ/

noun

a chunky, medium-sized European passerine bird, Sturnus vulgaris, of iridescent black plumage with seasonal speckles, that nests in colonies: introduced into North America.

any of various similar Old World birds of the family Sturnidae.

Origin

before 1050; Middle English; Old English stærling, equivalent to stær starling (cognate with Old High German stara, Old Norse stari) + -ling -ling¹; akin to Old English stearn kind of bird, Latin sturnus starling

starling²

[stahr-ling] /ˈstɑr lɪŋ/

noun

a pointed cluster of pilings for protecting a bridge pier from drifting ice, debris, etc.

Origin

1675-85; origin uncertain

Examples from the web for starling

Also, any bird caught in an intake grill-even a lark or starling-would disrupt the airflow enough for the engine to stall anyway.
The warbles and rattles of a starling seem innocuous enough.

British Dictionary definitions for starling

starling¹

/ˈstɑːlɪŋ/

noun

any gregarious passerine songbird of the Old World family Sturnidae, esp Sturnus vulgaris, which has a blackish plumage and a short tail

Word Origin

Old English stærlinc, from stær starling (related to Icelandic stari) + -line-ling1

starling²

/ˈstɑːlɪŋ/

noun

an arrangement of piles that surround a pier of a bridge to protect it from debris, etc

Word Origin

C17: probably changed from staddling, from staddle

Starling

/ˈstɑːlɪŋ/

noun

Ernest Henry. 1866–1927, British physiologist, who contributed greatly to the understanding of many bodily functions and with William Bayliss (1860–1924) discovered the hormone secretin (1902)

Word Origin and History for starling

Old English stærlinc, with diminutive suffix -linc, from stær "starling," from Proto-Germanic *staraz (cf. Old English stearn, Old Norse stari, Norwegian stare, Old High German stara, German star "starling"), from PIE *storo- (cf. Latin sturnus "starling," Old Prussian starnite "gull").

starling in Medicine

Starling Star·ling (stär'lĭng), Sir Ernest. 1866-1927.

British physiologist. With Sir William Bayliss he discovered (1902) the hormone secretin.