erne

noun

ˈərn  ˈern 

: eagle

especially : a long-winged sea eagle (Haliäetus albicilla) with a short white wedge-shaped tail

Did you know?

What do ernes, crows, finches, wrens, owls, and sparrows have in common (besides feathers and beaks and other avian traits)? Wing your way through one thousand years of ornithological and etymological history, and you will alight on an Old English lexicon wherein these birds had basically the same names as they have now. Their names were spelled a little differently back then: "earn," "crāwe," "finc," "wrenna," "Ūle," and "spearwa." All those avian names are also birds of a feather in that their ancestors are akin to Old High German words: arn, "krāwa," "fincho," "rentilo," "uwila," and "sparo," respectively.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English earn; akin to Old High German arn eagle, Greek ornis bird

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

erne

noun

ˈərn  ˈe(ə)rn 

: eagle sense 1

especially : one with a white tail