Animal Etymology: Bird Words

The forest is a quiet place if only the best birds sing.

Saturdays are perfect days for avian surprises. Surprise—we’re talking about words related to birds today!

With over 10,000 species of birds in the world, it’s no wonder we have so many bird-related words. The root AVI- means bird in words like aviary and avifauna:

avian (adj) - of, like, or pertaining to birds
BREAKDOWN: AVI- (bird) + -IAN (pertaining to)
—an avian is a bird

But what about words for birds that have other associations in English? There are plenty of those as well…

• birdbrain (noun) - a stupid or scatterbrained person

• cocksure (adj) - supremely confident, often offensively so

• coot (noun) - an old or foolish person

• crow (verb) - to boast, brag, or gloat

• cuckoo (adj) - crazy, eccentric, or foolish

• dovish (adj) - favoring peaceful solutions over conflict (also dove)

• fledgling (adj) - immature, inexperienced, or underdeveloped

• grouse (verb) - to grumble, complain, or whine

• hawk (verb) - to sell or peddle goods

• hawkish (adj) - favoring the use of force to achieve objectives (also hawk)

• loon (noun) - a crazy or foolish person (also loony)

• parrot (verb) - to mindlessly repeat or imitate another’s words or actions

• peregrinate (verb) - to travel, wander, or journey from place to place, often by foot

• preen (verb) - to carefully make oneself look neat and attractive; to groom, primp, or show off

• snipe (verb) - to shoot at someone from hiding, often from a distance; to verbally attack

• turkey (noun) - a failure, loser, or dud

• vulture (noun) - someone who takes advantage of the misfortune of others for personal gain

What bird words did we miss?

“Unclose your mind. You are not a prisoner. You are a bird in flight, searching the skies for dreams.” —Haruki Murakami