egret

Meaning

1. Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.
2. A plume or tuft of feathers worn as a part of a headdress, or anything imitating such an ornament.
3. The flying feathery or hairy crown of seeds or achenes, such as the down of the thistle.
4. (obsolete) The crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)

Synonyms

heron

crane

white crane

bittern

White

aigret

American egret

great white heron

aigrette

great white

bird

🐦

stork

hern

Translations

aigrette

reiger

garza

τσικνιάς

garça

garzetta

agró

airone

χουλιάρι

Reiher

héron

ψαροφάγος

ερωδιός

balıkçıl

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈi.ɡɹɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -

Cognate with Old High German: heigaro

Cognate with Old English: hrāgra

In summary

From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman egret, aigrette (“egret”), from Old Occitan aigreta, diminutive of aigron (“heron”), from Medieval Latin hairo, from Frankish *haigro (“heron”). Cognate with Old High German heigaro (“heron”), Old English hrāgra (“heron”). Doublet of aigrette. More at heron.