noctule

Meaning

A bat, of the genus Nyctalus, that lives in tree hollows.

Synonyms

bat

🦇

common noctule

noctule bat

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈnɒktjuːl/

Etymology

Borrowed from French noctule, a latinised scientific borrowing of the Italian nottola (refers to various birds or bats), inherited from Late Latin noctula, diminutive of Classical Latin noctua (“night-owl”), ultimately from Latin nox (“night”), from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts. Per the OED, first attested in English in 1771.