godwit

Meaning

Any of four species of long-billed migratory wading birds in the genus Limosa, of the family Scolopacidae.

Synonyms

barge

flatboat

flat-bottomed boat

lighter

Translations

barge

grutto

Limosa

λιμόζη

aguja

Uferschnepfe

picopando

Limosa limosa

limosa spp

aak

barcaça

barcaza

chata

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡɑd.wɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Old English: *gōdwiht

In summary

Origin unknown. A surface analysis would suggest Old English *gōdwiht as the term's ultimate origin, corresponding to good + wight (“creature”), but the term is attested only since late Middle English. The Oxford English Dictionary considers the term to probably have originally been imitative of the bird's call.