: a common European finch (Fringilla coelebs of the family Frangillidae) of which the male has a pinkish-brown breast
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebNow, Hendry and colleagues have updated and expanded the original data set with more than 5,000 additional examples: everything from the cranial depth of the common chaffinch to the lifespan of the Trinidadian guppy. Amit Katwala, Wired, 4 Feb. 2022 Up in the peaks of central Madeira, visitors can spot plain swifts swooping through the sky, while the island’s trees are often packed full of Madeiran chaffinches, a subspecies of the European common chaffinch. Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2021 Sparrows, chaffinches, linnets, and several coastal African birds arrived to the island in 1863.National Geographic, 8 May 2017
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English ceaffinc, from ceaf + finc finch
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of chaffinch was before the 12th century