chough

Meaning

Noun

• Either of two species of bird of the genus Pyrrhocorax in the crow family Corvidae that breed mainly in high mountains and on coastal sea cliffs of Eurasia.
• The white-winged chough, of genus Corcorax in the Australian mud-nest builders family, Corcoracidae, that inhabits dry woodlands.

Origin

• From Middle English choughe, choȝe, coo, cheo, from Old English ċēo ("a bird of the genus Corvus, a jay, crow, jackdaw, chough") and ċeahhe, both from Proto-West Germanic *kahwu ("jackdaw, crow"), from imitative Proto-Indo-European *gewH- ("to crow, caw, shout").
• Cognate with Scots kae ("jackdaw"), West Frisian ka ("jackdaw"), Dutch kauw ("jackdaw, daw, chough"), Swedish kaja ("jackdaw").