curlew
UK /ˈkɜːlju/ · US /ˈkɝlu/ noun
Forms curlews
- noun Any of several migratory wading birds in the genus Numenius, remarkable for their long, slender, downcurved bills.
- noun (Australia) A stone curlew (Burhinidae spp.).
Etymology
From Middle English curlew, from Old French courlieu (see French courlis), claimed to be imitative of the bird's cry but apparently assimilated with dialectal *corliu (“runner, messenger”), a variant of coureur (the bird is adept at running).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [F. courlieu, corlieu, courlis; perh. of imitative origin, but cf. OF. corlieus courier; L. currere to run + levis light.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “curlew”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details