1. A North American songbird (Turdus migratorius) having a rust-red breast and gray and black upper plumage. Also called robin redbreast.
2. A small Old World bird (Erithacus rubecula) having an orange breast and a brown back. Also called robin redbreast.
3. Any of various birds resembling a robin.

[Short for Robin Redbreast, from Middle English Robin, personal name, from Old French, diminutive of Robert.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.