wren

Meaning

Noun

• Any member of a mainly New World passerine bird family Troglodytidae; true wren.
• Any small bird of similar appearance to a true wren, such as a fairywren or scrubwren.

Origin

• From Middle English wrenne, wranne, from Old English wrenna, wrænna, werna, wærna, wrenne, from Proto-Germanic *wrandijô ("wren").
• Cognate with Old Saxon wrendilo ("wren"), Old High German rento, rentilo, Danish rindel ("wren"), Icelandic rindill ("wren").