peentn.int.
/piːnt/, U.S. /pint/ North American.
A nasal piping sound made by the American woodcock, Scolopax minor, before or after a flight. Also as int., representing this sound.
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1895 F. M. Chapman Handbk. Birds Eastern N. Amer. 153 [The Woodcock] begins on the ground with a formal, periodic peent, peent, an incongrous preparation for the wild flight that follows.
1925 E. H. Forbush Birds of Mass. I. 386 Voice [of woodcock].—A nasal ‘peent’ something like common note of Nighthawk.
1965 A. Wetmore et al. Water, Prey, & Game Birds N. Amer. 330/1 The woodcock zigzags rapidly down to earth with chirping notes. He struts across a patch of open ground, sounds his peent notes again, then soars to repeat the aerial act.
1993 Canad. Press (Nexis) 29 Apr. After repeating a distinctive ground call—‘peent’—for a short time, the male woodcock launches itself skyward again.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
peentv.
/piːnt/, U.S. /pint/ North American.
intransitive. Of the American woodcock, Scolopax minor: to emit its characteristic cry. Also transitive with the sound as object.
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1973 M. R. Crowell Greener Pastures 197 I hear a woodcock ‘peenting’ over on apple tree hill.
1976 Whig-Standard (Kingston, Ont.) 22 Oct. 14/1 Often, shortly after sunset, the male [woodcock] peents a nasal sound.
2002 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) (Nexis) 25 Dec. 6 c If it were spring, the sounds of the land would include whip-poor-wills calling shortly after dark, woodcock peenting and a chorus of crickets.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.int.1895v.1973