crécerelle
French
Etymology
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, English kestrel, 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”), possibly from or related to Middle Dutch crāken (“to creak, crack”), from Old Dutch *krakōn (“to crack, creak, emit a cry”), 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”), Middle French craquer (used of birds, “to emit a repeated cry”).
Pronunciation
Noun
crécerelle f (plural crécerelles)
- kestrel (any of various birds of prey)
Usage notes
The term crécerelle is sometimes, but not always, translated into English as kestrel. Individual creatures may be translated as other names. See for more information on the individual names.
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “crécerelle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.