lapwing
- lapwing
lapwing M.E. lappewinke (late 14c.), lapwyngis (early 15c.), folk etymology alteration of O.E. hleapewince, probably lit. "leaper-winker," from hleapan "to leap" + wince "totter, waver, move rapidly," related to wincian "to wink." Said to be so called from "the manner of its flight" [OED] "in reference to its irregular flapping manner of flight" [Barnhart], but the lapwing also flaps on the ground pretending to have a broken wing to lure egg-hunters away from its nest, which seems a more logical explanation. Its Greek name was polyplagktos "luring on deceitfully."
Etymology dictionary.
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Lapwing — Lap wing , n. [OE. lapwynke, leepwynke, AS. hle[ a]pewince; hle[ a]pan to leap, jump + (prob.) a word akin to AS. wincian to wink, E. wink, AS. wancol wavering; cf. G. wanken to stagger, waver. See {Leap}, and {Wink}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A small European … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
lapwing — ► NOUN ▪ a large crested plover with a dark green back, black and white head and underparts, and a loud call. ORIGIN Old English, from words meaning «to leap» and «move from side to side» (because of the way it flies) … English terms dictionary
lapwing — [lap′wiŋ΄] n. [ME lapwinge, altered (by folk etym., by assoc. with lappe, LAP1 & wing, WING) < OE hleapewince < hleapan, to LEAP + wince < wincian (see WINK): prob. so called from its irregular flight] any of a genus (Vanellus) of black… … English World dictionary
Lapwing — Taxobox name = Lapwings image width = 240px image caption = Blacksmith Lapwing ( Vanellus armatus ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves subclassis = Neornithes infraclassis = Neognathae superordo = Neoaves ordo = Charadriiformes… … Wikipedia
lapwing — /lap wing /, n. 1. a large Old World plover, Vanellus vanellus, having a long, slender, upcurved crest, an erratic, flapping flight, and a shrill cry. 2. any of several similar, related plovers. [bef. 1050; ME, var. (by assoc. with WING) of… … Universalium
lapwing — /ˈlæpwɪŋ/ (say lapwing) noun 1. Also, northern lapwing. a common wading bird, Vanellus vanellus, of Europe, northern Africa and parts of the Middle East, having green wings and a long crest. 2. any of various other birds of the genus Vanellus,… …
lapwing — UK [ˈlæpˌwɪŋ] / US noun [countable] Word forms lapwing : singular lapwing plural lapwings a small European bird with dark feathers, a white breast, and raised feathers on its head. A lapwing is sometimes called a peewit … English dictionary
lapwing — [OE] The present day form of the word lapwing is due to the notion that it describes the way the bird’s wings overlap in flight, but in fact although it did originally refer to the way the bird flies, it has no etymological connection with lap or … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
lapwing — [OE] The present day form of the word lapwing is due to the notion that it describes the way the bird’s wings overlap in flight, but in fact although it did originally refer to the way the bird flies, it has no etymological connection with lap or … Word origins
lapwing — noun /ˈlæpwɪŋ/ a) Any of several medium sized wading birds belonging to the subfamily Vanellinae of the family Charadriidae. This lapwing runs away with the shell on his head. b) A silly man … Wiktionary
