Birdless

/ˈbɜrdləs/ adjective

Definition

Lacking birds or devoid of bird life; a place or environment where birds are absent.

Etymology

Compound formed from 'bird' (Old English 'brid') and the suffix '-less' (Old English 'lēas' meaning 'without'). This descriptive term emerged in literary and naturalistic writing to describe stark or barren landscapes.

Kelly Says

Silent Spring author Rachel Carson could have used this word to describe the devastated, pesticide-soaked landscapes she warned about—when entire ecosystems lost their birds, it revealed how catastrophically humans had altered nature.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.