birdie

Etymology

From bird + -ie.

noun

1. (often childish) A (little) bird; a birdling.
   Aw, that's a cute little birdie. Is it a budgie?
   'Listen to th' birdies,' said the child, raising her radiant face to the roof, and at the supreme moment accompanying them in perfect mimicry. 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 121
2. (golf) The completion of a hole one stroke below par.
   He scored ten birdies during the tournament.
   The heat brought one blessing. It baked the 7,053-yard par 35-35—70 course to concrete hardness and gave some added roll to the drives. Birdie, which have been at a premium, came easier. 1964-06-16, “All Eyes On Lema At U.S. Open This Week”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 22
3. (badminton) A shuttlecock.
4. (Philippines, slang) A man's penis.
5. (electronics) An electromagnetic signal generated from within an electronic device.
6. (usually preceded by "the") A certain rude gesture in some countries, formed with the middle finger.
7. (usually preceded by "the") A certain rude gesture in some countries, formed with the middle and index fingers.

verb

1. (intransitive, golf) To score a birdie.
   Sörenstam birdied to take the lead.
2. (transitive, golf) To score a birdie at (a hole).
   Sörenstam birdied the seventeenth hole to take the lead.