chaffinch

Meaning

A small passerine bird, Fringilla coelebs, of the finch family, found throughout Europe and eastward to Iran and eastern Mediterranean coastlands.

Synonyms

finch

Fringilla coelebs

linnet

common chaffinch

Translations

fringuello

Buchfink

pinson

vink

boekvink

pinzón

pinsà

tentilhão

pinson des arbres

Fink

σπίνος

pinzón vulgar

ispinoz

pinsà comú

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈt͡ʃæfɪnt͡ʃ/

Etymology

From Middle English chaffynch, chaffynche, caffynche, equivalent to chaff + finch. However, more recently the first element has been argued to derive from the same root as Old English cæfed (“ornamented”) and cæfing (“hair-ornament”), thus meaning "ornamented finch, colourful finch".