howlet en · NOUN
Etymology
From Middle English howlat, howlott etc, either borrowed from French hulotte or formed from Middle English howle (form of oule) + -et. Compare modern owlet.
Meanings
-
An owl; an owlet.
Will the night send a howlet or a bat? / I asked: when something on the dismal flat / Came to arrest my thoughts and change their train.
1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XVIII:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| howlets | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| hewlet | alternative | lexicographic | |
| houlet | alternative | lexicographic |