Bustard (noun)
bus-tah-d
A large, heavily built, swift-running bird, found in open country in the Old World. The males of most bustards have a spectacular courtship display.
Late 15th century perhaps an Anglo-Norman French blend of Old French bistarde and oustarde, both from Latin avis tarda ‘slow bird’ the name is unexplained, as the bustards are fast runners.
Example sentences
“Several attempts to restore the bustard population to the UK have failed.”
Wonky (adj) won-kee Not straight or balanced, off kilter. First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant of dialectal wanky, equivalent to wank(le) ( Middle English wankel, Old English wancol. (more…)
