Wachtel

Meaning

1. (feminine) quail
2. (derogatory, feminine, slang) screw (i.e., prison guard)

Concepts

quail

common quail

quails

curdle

Japanese quail

colinus

coturnix coturnix

Synonyms

Colinus

coturnix Coturnix

Translations

codorniz

caille

kwartel

quaglia

codorniz

caille des blés

bıldırcın

coturnix

guatlla

ορτύκι

Coturnix coturnix

catla

codorna

ortigometra

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈvaxtəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle High German: wachtel

Inherited from Old High German: wahtala

In summary

From Middle High German wachtel, wahtel, from Old High German wahtala, wahtila, from Proto-West Germanic *hwahtlā (“quail”).
The sense “prison guard” is due to similarity with the (non-derogatory) synonyms Wache and Wächter.