Corbie
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A raven or crow (typically Corvus corax). Scotland
"1825, Basil Hall, journal entry quoted in 1837, Walter Scott, J. G. Lockhart (editor), Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart., in The Complete Works of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 7, page 417, From parrots we got to corbies, or ravens, and he told us with infinite humour a story of a certain tame bird of this description, whose constant delight was to do mischief, and to plague all mankind and beastkind."
- 2 Either of two moth species of genus Oncopera, whose larvae feed on grasses, especially Oncopera intricata. Australia
"The eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), a species believed to be extinct on mainland Australia, is common in the run and front country, where it consumes corbie grubs and cockchafers, among slightly larger prey and carrion."
- 1 A commune in Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France.
Example
More examples"1825, Basil Hall, journal entry quoted in 1837, Walter Scott, J. G. Lockhart (editor), Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart., in The Complete Works of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 7, page 417, From parrots we got to corbies, or ravens, and he told us with infinite humour a story of a certain tame bird of this description, whose constant delight was to do mischief, and to plague all mankind and beastkind."
Etymology
From Middle French corbeau, from Old French corb (from Latin corvus (“raven”)) or Old French corbel (“crow”) (from Late Latin corbellus, from Latin corvus). See also Norman corbin.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.