lapwing
[ lap-wing ]
/ ˈlæpˌwɪŋ /
|
noun
a large Old World plover, Vanellus vanellus, having a long, slender, upcurved crest, an erratic, flapping flight, and a shrill cry.
any of several similar, related plovers.
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Nearby words
lapsus linguae, laptev sea, laptop, laptray, laputa, lapwing, laquei, laqueus, lar, lar gibbon, lara
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for lapwing
British Dictionary definitions for lapwing
lapwing
/ (ˈlæpˌwɪŋ) /
noun
any of several plovers of the genus Vanellus, esp V. vanellus, typically having a crested head, wattles, and spursAlso called: green plover, pewit, peewit
Word Origin for lapwing
C17: altered form of Old English hlēapewince plover, from hlēapan to leap + wincian to jerk, wink 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for lapwing
lapwing
Middle English lappewinke (late 14c.), lapwyngis (early 15c.), folk etymology alteration of Old English hleapewince, probably literally "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."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper