crow

From Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *krāā, from Proto-Germanic *krēǭ (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krēaną (“to crow”). See below.

Any of various dark-coloured nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euploea.

“Ay,” put in a young man, who had the reputation of being the smartest “crow” in London—“‘fishers of men,’ as the parson says.”

1874, Marcus Clarke, For the Term of his Natural Life, Penguin, published 2009, page 53:

1975, Michael Crichton, The Great Train Robbery
By nine o'clock on the evening of November 12, 1854, Pierce had his confederates in their places. The crow, Agar's woman, lounged across the street from the Trent mansion.

(now rare, slang) Someone who keeps watch while their associates commit a crime; a lookout.

A young petty officer that must have just received his “crow” (a single chevron, with an eagle over it) was showing off to several seamen.

2002, Ed Goodrich, Riggers that Dive, page 46:

The young man had been threatened with loss of his third class rank, his “crow,” the eagle in a petty officer's sleeve insignia.

2003, Jonathan T. Malay, Seraphim Sky, page 106:

(military, slang) The emblem of an eagle, a sign of military rank.


crow

en-verb

crow (third-person singular simple present crows, present participle crowing, simple past crowed or (UK) crew, past participle crowed or (archaic) crown)

crows (present singular third-person)
crowing (participle present)
crowed (past)
crew (UK past)
crowed (participle past)
crown (archaic participle past)

The verb is from Middle English crowen, from Old English crāwan (past tense crēow, past participle crāwen), from Proto-West Germanic *krāan, from Proto-Germanic *krēaną, from imitative Proto-Indo-European *gerH- (“to cry hoarsely”).
The noun is from Middle English crowe, from the verb.
Compare Dutch kraaien, German krähen, Lithuanian gróti, Russian гра́ять (grájatʹ)). Related to croak.

onomatopoeic

imitative

der

(intransitive, music) To test the reed of a double reed instrument by placing the reed alone in the mouth and blowing it.


tiger

→ Volapük: tigrid

→ Welsh: teigr

Inland Northern American, New England, some speakers

From Middle English tygre, in part from Old English tigras (pl.), in part from Anglo-Norman tigre, both from Latin tigris, from Ancient Greek τίγρις (tígris), from Iranian (compare Avestan 𐬙𐬌𐬔𐬭𐬌 (tigri, “arrow”), 𐬙𐬌𐬖𐬭𐬀 (tiγra, “pointed”)). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to pierce, prick, be sharp”). Compare English stick.


queen

Tok Pisin: kwin

desc

⇒ American Sign Language: G@Shoulder-PalmDown G@Abdomen-PalmDown

→ Burmese: ကွင်း (kwang:)

→ German: Queen

→ Japanese: クイーン (kuīn), クィーン (kwīn)

→ Korean: 퀸 (kwin)

→ Marshallese: kwiin

→ Sikaiana: kuini

→ Spanish: cuina

→ Thai: ควีน (kwiin)

From Middle English quene, queen, cwen, from Old English cwēn (“queen”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwāni, from Proto-Germanic *kwēniz (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷénh₂s (“woman”).
Cognate with Scots queen, wheen (“queen”), Old Saxon quān ("wife"; > Middle Low German quene (“elderly woman”)), Dutch kween (“woman past child-bearing age”), Swedish kvinna (“woman”), Norwegian kvinne (“woman”), Danish kvinde (“woman”), Icelandic kvon (“wife”), Gothic 𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃 (qēns, “wife”), Norwegian dialectal kvån (“wife”). Related to and possibly merged with and/or absorbed some senses of English quean, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene (“woman; female serf, quean”), see quean. Generally eclipsed non-native Middle English regina (“queen”), borrowed from Latin rēgīna (“queen”) (see Modern English regina). Doublet of quean and gyne.

gloss

"wife"; > Middle Low German <i class="Latn mention" lang="gml">quene</i> (“elderly woman”)

cog

[…] and yet I will not ſay but amongſt duſt there is Pearle found, and in hard rockes Dyamonds of great value, and ſo amongſt many women there are ſome good, as that gracious and glorious Queene of all woman kinde the Virgin Mary the mother of al bliſſe, what wun her honour, but an humble minde and her paines and loue vnto our Sauiour Chriſt.

1620, Thomas Tell-Troth [pseudonym of Joseph Swetnam], The Araignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Women: Or the Vanitie of Them, Choose You Whether, London, published 1807, retrieved 2022-01-14:

A woman whose pre-eminence, power, or forcefulness is comparable to that of a queen.

(Christianity) The Virgin Mary (especially in formulations such as Queen of Heaven, Queen of Glory).


monarch

From Middle French monarque, from Late Latin monarcha, from Ancient Greek μονάρχης (monárkhēs), variant of μόναρχος (mónarkhos, “sole ruler”), from μόνος (mónos, “only”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “leader”), equivalent to mono- + -arch.
* (butterfly): See monarch butterfly.

But I know the monarchs are close by, their orange-and-black wings folded, dusted, and baked by heat, ready to flee south.

2019, Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Jonathan Cape, page 223:

Danaus plexippus
Danaus plexippus#Translingual

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and others of genus Danaus, found primarily in North America.


hamadryad

en-noun

hamadryad (plural hamadryads or hamadryades)

hamadryads (plural)
hamadryades (plural)

From Latin Hamadryas, from Ancient Greek Ἁμαδρυάς (Hamadruás), from ἅμα (háma, “together”) + δρῦς (drûs, “tree”).

af

The hamadryades have gone, like the golden fancies of which they were engendered—morning dreams of a young world scarce awake, but full of freshness and beauty. Yet often will the thought, or rather the fancy, come across me, that this wailing but most musical noise—heard in the dim evening, when every tree has a separate sound like a separate instrument, and every leaf a differing tone like the differing notes—is the piteous lament of some nymph pent within the gray and mossy trunk whence she may never more emerge in visible loveliness.

1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVIII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 301:

The various supports, rafters, braces and plates are of pandanus logs of a rich oily brown, and make one think of a sylvan cathedral where hamadryads might very well dance, where Syrinx might be chased by Pan, Daphne by Apollo, and various other heathen rites take place in the dark hours before the dawn.

1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 106:

(Greek mythology) A wood-nymph who was physically a part of her tree; she would die if her tree were felled.

Papio hamadryas
Papio hamadryas#Translingual

A baboon of species Papio hamadryas, venerated by the ancient Egyptians.

Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genera Hamadryas and Tellervo.


wanderer

From Middle English wanderere, wandrere, wanderare, equivalent to wander + -er. Cognate with Scots wanderer, wandirer (“wanderer”), Dutch wandelaar (“walker, hiker”), German Wanderer (“wanderer”), Danish vandrer (“wanderer”), Swedish vandrare (“wanderer”), Norwegian vandrer (“wanderer”).

Diomedea exulans
Diomedea exulans#Translingual

(colloquial) The wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans.


monarca

Borrowed from Late Latin monarcha, from Ancient Greek μονάρχης (monárkhēs), variant of μόναρχος (mónarkhos, “sole ruler”).


clearwing

Any of various nymphalid butterflies, usually of the tribe Ithomiini, that have transparent wings


danaid

(zoology) Any member of the family Danaidae, now considered to be the nymphalid subfamily Danainae.


danaine

Any butterfly of the subfamily Danainae.


monarch butterfly

en-noun

monarch butterfly (plural monarch butterflies)

Believed to have been named in honor of King William III of England, as the butterfly’s main color is that of the king’s secondary title, Prince of Orange.

A US study published earlier this year found that dust emitted when seeds treated with neonicotinoids are planted causes sub-lethal effects in caterpillars of the monarch butterfly.

2015 November 24, Patrick Barkham, “Pesticide may be reason butterfly numbers are falling in UK, says study”, in The Guardian:

A butterfly of the species Danaus plexippus, native to North and Central America.

Jean Ruth Adams
Prince of Orange
William III of England


ithomiine

(zoology) a butterfly in the nymphalid tribe Ithomiini.


paper kite butterfly

paper kite butterfly (plural paper kite butterflies)

The large butterfly Idea leuconoe that has translucent wings


Pagenstecher's crow

Pagenstecher's crow (plural Pagenstecher's crows)

Euploea doretta, a nymphalid butterfly endemic to Papua New Guinea.


king crow

Synonym of black drongo (“Asian passerine bird”)


lesser wanderer

lesser wanderer (plural lesser wanderers)

A species of migratory nymphalid butterfly, Danaus petilia, of Australia and Indonesia south of Lydekker's Line.


swamp tiger

A species nymphalid butterfly, Danaus affinis, of Southeast Asia and Australasia.


small brown crow

small brown crow (plural small brown crows)

A smallish nymphalid butterfly, Euploea darchia, brown with white spots, endemic to northern Australia.


별선두리왕나비

별 (byeol, “star”) + 선 (seon) + 두리 (duri, “spinning about”) + 왕나비 (wangnabi, “chestnut tiger”).


왕나비

From 왕(王) (wang, “king”) + 나비 (nabi, “butterfly”).


제왕나비

제왕(帝王) (jewang, “emperor”) + 나비 (nabi, “butterfly”). Calque of English monarch butterfly.


monarch caterpillar

en-noun

monarch caterpillar (plural monarch caterpillars)


milkweed butterfly

milkweed butterfly (plural milkweed butterflies)