The Bird Is the Word
Get your binoculars ready for some linguistic birdwatching!
The Latin word for bird, "avis," still soars quite plainly in several English terms -- aviary, avian and aviation, as well as in rara avis, literally meaning "rare bird" and, metaphorically, any rarity. (True slogan of Avis Rent-a-Car: "We fly harder.")
But the Latin word "avis" flies nearly undetected in "bustard" and "ostrich."
"Bustard," denoting a game bird found in the Eastern Hemisphere, derives ultimately from the Latin "avis tarda," slow bird, which this large game bird tends to be. "Avis tarda" became "bistarde" in Middle French and "bustard" in English. ("Buzzard," by the way, which you might assume buzzes in from "bustard," actually comes from the Latin word for hawk -- "buteon.")
As the recent film "Conclave" reminds us, the crimson caps and robes of Catholic cardinals gave us the name for the bright red bird. In fact, a flock of them is sometimes called "a conclave of cardinals" or "a college of cardinals."
In the case of "ostrich," the Latin "avis" has stuck its head even deeper into the linguistic sand. "Ostrich" derives from the French "ostrusce," which itself comes from the Latin term "avis struthio," literally, "bird ostrich."
A Latin form of "avis" was "auspex," meaning someone who foretold the future from the behavior of birds. "Auspex" gives us "auspicious," meaning "propitious" or "favorable." And, because a soothsayer was an influential person, "auspex" expanded to mean a "patron" or "supporter," giving us "auspices," meaning "purview" or "sponsorship."
By contrast, "pigeon," also known affectionately as a "rat with wings," comes not from any fancy Latin words but from the sounds it makes. The Romans called any young bird a "pipio" in imitation of its sharp piping cries. "Pipio" became "pijon" in French and "pigeon" in English, denoting a specific type of bird with a stout body, short legs, smooth, compact plumage and an alarming affinity for statues.
But pigeons, you might object, don't pipe; they coo. True, but their young make high-pitched piping sounds when hungry. Hence, "pipio" and "pijon" came to denote the entire breed, both young and old.
Other birds whose names imitate the sounds of their calls include the bobolink, bobwhite, cuckoo, chickadee, cock (from "cock-a-doodle-doo") and whippoorwill, which, if you've ever had one sit and sing on your roof all night, as I have, is sometimes called "a little bustard" -- or words to that effect.
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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
Copyright 2025 Creators Syndicate Inc.
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