Eskimo curlew Syllabification: (Es·ki·mo cur·lew)Definition of Eskimo curlew noun a small New World curlew with a striped head, formerly common in the arctic tundra but now close to extinction. Numenius borealis, family Scolopacidae Eskimo curlew in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of Eskimo curlew in the British & World English dictionary