HUM'MING-BIRD, noun A very small bird of the genus Trochilus; so called from the sound of its wings in flight. The rostrum is subulate, filiform, and longer than the head; the tongue is filiform and tubulous. It never lights to take food, but feeds while on the wing.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI