wheatear en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈwiːtɪəɹ/
- /ˈʍiːtɪəɹ/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Uncertain. Probably a back-formation from Middle English whit ers (“white arse”), after the prominent white rump of many species. Compare dialect forms white rump, white-tail. Possibly a compound of wheat + ear or white + ear. Attested since the seventeenth century as wheat-ears or wheatgear.
Meanings
-
Any of various passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe that feed on insects,
What abundance of Hens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys, Pigeons, and Larks? [...] Maychit, Stint, Sea-Plover, Pewits, Redshanks, Rayles, and Wheat-ears, Herrons, Cranes, Bitterns, Bustards, Puffins, God-wits,
1669, Edward Chamberlayne, Angliae Notitia; or, The Present State of England, London: T.N. for John Martyn, →OCLC, page 6:great plenty of the birds so much admired at Tunbridge under the name of wheat-ears. By-the-bye, this is a pleasant corruption of white-a—se, the translation of the French name cul blanc, taken from their color; for they are actually white towards the tail.
1796, Tobias Smollett, The miscellaneous works of Tobias Smollett, M.D. With memoirs of his life and writings, Edinburgh: J. Mundell, →OCLC, page 21:
- Any of various passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe that feed on insects, ▸ especially, the northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wheatears | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| white-ear | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
wheatear stitch · northern wheatear · desert wheatear · isabelline wheatear · pied wheatear · western black-eared wheatear · Atlas wheatear
Synonyms
clodhopper · fallow-smiter · fallow-chat
Translations (28)
nb steinskvett (birds of genus Oenanthe) · fr traquet (birds of genus Oenanthe) · ru ка́менка (birds of genus Oenanthe) · nl tapuit (birds of genus Oenanthe) · fi kivitasku (birds of genus Oenanthe) · ast bicha (birds of genus Oenanthe) · izh rauniopappi (birds of genus Oenanthe) · ce тӏулган гӏайренашкара хьоза (birds of genus Oenanthe) · smn keđgirástágâš (birds of genus Oenanthe) · izh pappiraunio (birds of genus Oenanthe) · tr kuyrukkakan (birds of genus Oenanthe) · ga clochrán (birds of genus Oenanthe) · pl białorzytka (birds of genus Oenanthe) · grc οἰνάνθη (birds of genus Oenanthe) · bg сиво каменарче (birds of genus Oenanthe) · izh naksuttaja (birds of genus Oenanthe) · nrf blianche-coue (birds of genus Oenanthe) · smj gierggerástes (birds of genus Oenanthe) · gd clacharan (birds of genus Oenanthe) · es collalba (birds of genus Oenanthe) · cy tinwen y garn (birds of genus Oenanthe) · fo steinstólpa (birds of genus Oenanthe) · gd brù-gheal (birds of genus Oenanthe) · sv steinskvätta (birds of genus Oenanthe) · cs bělořit (birds of genus Oenanthe) · se geađgerásttis (birds of genus Oenanthe) · de Steinschmätzer (birds of genus Oenanthe) · hu hantmadár (birds of genus Oenanthe)