Lapwing
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any of several medium-sized wading birds belonging to the subfamily Vanellinae, within family Charadriidae.
"Plovers and lapwings are a large, virtually worldwide family that differs from sandpipers in, among other things, having a shorter, thicker, pigeonlike bill and more robust proportions."
- 2 large crested Old World plover having wattles and spurs wordnet
- 3 Any of several medium-sized wading birds belonging to the subfamily Vanellinae, within family Charadriidae.; The northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus).
- 4 A silly man. obsolete
"This lapwing runs away with the shell on his head."
Example
More examples"No lapwing pilfers Lieschen's licorice."
Etymology
From Middle English lapwynge, lapwynke, lappewincke, lapwynche, lhapwynche, from Old English hlēapewince (“lapwing”), from Old English hlēapan (“to leap”) + wincian (“to wink, make a sign”), due to its manner of flight. Cognate with West Frisian ljip (“lapwing”). The modern form is influenced by folk etymology to resemble English wing.
Related phrases
More for "lapwing"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.