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lapwing

The origin and history of lapwing.

Etymology

The word comes from Middle English forms such as lapwynge, which trace back to Old English hleapewince, itself a joining of a word meaning to leap and a word meaning to wink or make a sign, describing the bird's flight. Its modern spelling was later reshaped to look like the word wing, though that link is not the true origin.

Origin: Old English

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