Hūm'ming-bird, n.

noun

n. (Ornith.) A very small bird of the genus Trochilus, remarkable for the metallic brilliancy of its plumage, and for the swift motion and noise of its wings in flight. It has a long, slender beak, and an extensile tongue, and feeds upon the juices of flowers while on the wing. It is found only on the continents of America. In the United States the T. colubris is common. The smallest known bird is T. (or Mellisaga) minimus. [Sometimes written hum-bird.]

Gould.

An engraved illustration of a hummingbird in flight, shown with its wings spread. — Humming-bird (*Trochilus ornatus*).