härfågel
Swedish
Etymology
Just like its Latin (Upupa) and English names (hoopoe), the Swedish name originates from the sound of the bird, interpreted as "Upp! Upp! Upp! Ut! Ut!" (up, up, up, out, out), a sign of bad times of war and starvation. This gave the bird the name of oäringsfågel already in Medieval times, which later has turned into härfågel. Oäring being the negation (o-) of äring, a good year's harvest.[1]
Noun
härfågel c
- a hoopoe, the bird Upupa epops
Declension
| Declension of härfågel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | härfågel | härfågeln | härfåglar | härfåglarna |
| Genitive | härfågels | härfågelns | härfåglars | härfåglarnas |
References
- U-äring: o-ärings-fógel in Johan Ernst Rietz, Svenskt dialektlexikon (1862–1867)