English

antbird

From ant + bird.

A compound of ant + bird

Proto-West Germanic *āmaitijā

Old English ǣmete

Middle English ampte ‘an ant’

English ant

Old English bridd ‘chick’

Middle English bird

English bird

Today it means

noun Any of various drab-colored South American birds of the family Thamnophilidae that feed on ants.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.