a black and white bird with a long tail and a noisy call. There is a popular belief that magpies like to steal small bright objects. Topics Birdsc2鹊;喜鹊 Word Originlate 16th cent.: probably shortening of dialect maggot the pie, maggoty-pie, from Magot (Middle English pet form of the given name Marguerite) + pie, used in the naming of birds.