kestrel

Meaning

1. Any of various small falcons of the genus Falco that hover while hunting.
2. A common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).

Synonyms

sparrow hawk

American kestrel

hawk

Falco sparverius

Falco tinnunculus

falcon

buzzard

common kestrel

windhover

duck hawk

kes

harrier

merlin

peregrine falcon

Translations

crécerelle

gheppio

xoriguer

cernícalo

Falco tinnunculus

torenvalk

Turmfalke

kerkenez

peneireiro

falcão

faucon crécerelle

faucon

βραχοκιρκίνεζο

falco

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɛstɹəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: castrel

Cognate with French: crécerelle

Cognate with Neapolitan: castariello

Cognate with Old High German: krahhōn

Cognate with Old English: cracian

Cognate with French: craquer

In summary

From Middle English castrel (“staniel, bird of prey”), from Middle French cresserelle, crecerelle (“bird of prey”), usually assumed to be from crecelle (“rattle, wooden reel”) (modern crécelle), of obscure origin.
Cognates possibly include: Medieval Latin clisterella f, French crécerelle f and cristel m, Neapolitan castariello m and crestariello m, all sharing the same meaning.
Derivation from the assumed Vulgar Latin *crepicella, *crepitacillum, a diminutive of crepitāculum, from crepitāre (“to crackle”) is difficult to explain from a morphological point of view.
Instead, possibly from a root *krek-, *krak- (“to crack, rattle, creak, emit a bird cry”), from Middle Dutch crāken (“to creak, crack”), from Old Dutch *krakōn (“to crack, creak, emit a cry”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn, from Proto-Germanic *krakōną (“to emit a cry, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerg- (“to shout”). Cognate with Old High German krahhōn (“to make a sound, crash”), Old English cracian (“to resound”), French craquer (“to emit a repeated cry, used of birds”). More at creak, crack.