sparrowhawk en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English sparhauk, sperhauk, from Old English spearhafoc, spearhabuc (“sparrow-hawk”), from Proto-West Germanic *sparwahabuk, from Proto-Germanic *sparwahabukaz, equivalent to sparrow + hawk. Cognate with Danish spurvehøg (“sparrowhawk”), Swedish sparvhök (“sparrowhawk”), Icelandic sparrhaukur (“sparrowhawk”).
Meanings
- A Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, a small, short-winged European hawk that preys on smaller birds.
- A Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, a small, short-winged European hawk that preys on smaller birds. ▸ A female such bird, a male being a musket.
- Any of numerous other relatively small birds of Old World species of Accipiter, that prey on smaller birds or otherwise resemble A. nisus.
-
(alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of sparrow hawk; American kestrel, Falco sparverius, of similar size and habit.
alt of sparrow hawk
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sparhawk | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sparrowhawks | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| spar-hawk | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sparrow-hawk | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sparrow hawk | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
black sparrowhawk · Hilgert's sparrowhawk · red-legged sparrowhawk · great sparrowhawk · Nicobar sparrowhawk · dwarf sparrowhawk · imitator sparrowhawk · red-thighed sparrowhawk · African little sparrowhawk · Eurasian sparrowhawk · Levant sparrowhawk · New Britain sparrowhawk · chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk · small sparrowhawk · spot-tailed sparrowhawk · Chinese sparrowhawk · Japanese sparrowhawk · western little sparrowhawk · slaty-mantled sparrowhawk · rufous-chested sparrowhawk · collared sparrowhawk · rufous-breasted sparrowhawk · northern sparrowhawk · Ovambo sparrowhawk · rufous-necked sparrowhawk · little sparrowhawk · Frances’s sparrowhawk · slaty-backed sparrowhawk · American sparrowhawk · Madagascan sparrowhawk · vinous-breasted sparrowhawk
Translations (6)
de Sperber (any of many other species of Accipiter) · wyi par-rite (any of many other species of Accipiter) · id elang-alap (any of many other species of Accipiter) · ca esparver (any of many other species of Accipiter) · pl krogulec (any of many other species of Accipiter) · fr épervier (any of many other species of Accipiter)