wren1
/rɛn
/noun
1A small short-winged songbird found chiefly in the New World.
- Family Troglodytidae: many genera and numerous species, in particular the very small Troglodytes troglodytes, which has a short cocked tail and is the only wren that occurs in the Old World.
- Use suet or specialty suet cakes with added berries or peanuts to attract woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, Carolina wrens and wintering warblers.
- This is one of the many birds that until the last several decades was restricted to our southern states, but like tufted titmice, cardinals, Carolina wrens and mockingbirds, it is now an established breeder in parts of New England.
2 [usually with modifier] Any of a number of small songbirds that resemble the true wrens in size or appearance:
- British A small warbler or kinglet, e.g. willow wren. Australian A bird of the family Maluridae or Acanthizidae. See emu-wren, fairy wren NZ A bird of the family Xenicidae. A Central or South American bird of the families Formicariidae, Polioptilidae, etc., e.g. ant-wren..
Origin
Old English wrenna, of Germanic origin.
Rhymes
Wren2
/rɛn/noun
(In the UK) a member of the former Women’s Royal Naval Service.On Sunday, July 31 the York branches of the Association of Wrens and the Royal Marines united in a joint service at All Saints, Pavement for the rededication of their Standards....
- Ginge Thomas had enrolled in the Women's Royal Naval Service - the Wrens - in March 1943, moving from Swansea to London.
- When she was in the Wrens during the war, her friends used to call her Bossy Rossy.
Origin
First World War: originally in the plural, from the abbreviation WRNS.