WRYNECK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does wryneck mean? 

• WRYNECK (noun)
  The noun WRYNECK has 2 senses:

1. an unnatural condition in which the head leans to one side because the neck muscles on that side are contracted

2. Old World woodpecker with a peculiar habit of twisting the neck

  Familiarity information: WRYNECK used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WRYNECK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An unnatural condition in which the head leans to one side because the neck muscles on that side are contracted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

torticollis; wryneck

Hypernyms ("wryneck" is a kind of...):

abnormalcy; abnormality (an abnormal physical condition resulting from defective genes or developmental deficiencies)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Old World woodpecker with a peculiar habit of twisting the neck

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("wryneck" is a kind of...):

pecker; peckerwood; woodpecker (bird with strong claws and a stiff tail adapted for climbing and a hard chisel-like bill for boring into wood for insects)

Holonyms ("wryneck" is a member of...):

genus Jynx; Jynx (wrynecks)