R thew (Birds & wildlife)
Northern Lapwing, adult
Northern Lapwing, (Vanellus vanellus)
Meaning behind the name:
Vanellus = Latin for "winnowing fan" (No doubt refers to their flying with twists and turns, flapping the wings in the same manner that the farmers used to use a fan to blow the chaff of the grain in the 16th century.)
The English name is more complex. A clue is one of it's other names "Lapwinch." (Lap- winch)
The Lapwing name made it's first appearance around the 8th century as "la'epiwinche", or "la'pewince" The first element of these early words "la'epi" or "la'pe" has it's origins meaning "crest" and the latter "winche" or "wince" meaning "to move up and down" like someone would use a winch. Hence; put together, it's now becoming clear that the lapwing was named originally from it's crest which moves up and down, rather than named after it's wing flaps.
Over time, the word "winch" became corrupted by a distortion (or miss-spelling if you like) of the word to become "winca" meaning "winker" by the 11th century until around 1430 when you got "lapwingis" with the first appearance of "wing" in 1481. (Told you this name origins was more complicated than it seems)
Personally, I think the name we have today is much more appropriate as it's more in harmony with it's Latin name.
A few other Old Names included: Pewit, Peeweet and similar based on it's call that's often heard, and Horny wick, Horny Wig and Horny Wink all refer to it's "horn-like" crest.
Northern Lapwing, adult
Northern Lapwing, (Vanellus vanellus)
Meaning behind the name:
Vanellus = Latin for "winnowing fan" (No doubt refers to their flying with twists and turns, flapping the wings in the same manner that the farmers used to use a fan to blow the chaff of the grain in the 16th century.)
The English name is more complex. A clue is one of it's other names "Lapwinch." (Lap- winch)
The Lapwing name made it's first appearance around the 8th century as "la'epiwinche", or "la'pewince" The first element of these early words "la'epi" or "la'pe" has it's origins meaning "crest" and the latter "winche" or "wince" meaning "to move up and down" like someone would use a winch. Hence; put together, it's now becoming clear that the lapwing was named originally from it's crest which moves up and down, rather than named after it's wing flaps.
Over time, the word "winch" became corrupted by a distortion (or miss-spelling if you like) of the word to become "winca" meaning "winker" by the 11th century until around 1430 when you got "lapwingis" with the first appearance of "wing" in 1481. (Told you this name origins was more complicated than it seems)
Personally, I think the name we have today is much more appropriate as it's more in harmony with it's Latin name.
A few other Old Names included: Pewit, Peeweet and similar based on it's call that's often heard, and Horny wick, Horny Wig and Horny Wink all refer to it's "horn-like" crest.