snowbird

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2007 is: snowbird • \SNOH-berd\  • noun 1 : any of several birds (as a junco or fieldfare) seen chiefly in winter 2 : one who travels to warm climes for the winter Examples: Now that they are retired, the Crawfords have become snowbirds, closing up their New England home each winter and heading south. Did you know? "Snowbird" has been in use since the late 1600s, but it has only been applied to humans since the early 1900s. It was first used to describe men who enlisted in the armed forces to get food and clothing during the winter months and then deserted as the warm spring weather approached. Not long after, the term was applied to the northern laborers who would flock down south to work as the cold, harsh winter set in up north. Today, northerners of all kinds, from vacationers to retirees, can be seen migrating as soon as the first frost arrives. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.