aasvogel

See also: Aasvogel and Aasvögel

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans aasvogel (“vulture”) (obsolete form of aasvoël), from Dutch aasvogel, from aas (“carrion”) + vogel (“bird”).[1][2]

Pronunciation

Noun

aasvogel (plural aasvogels)

  1. (South Africa, rare, literary) Vulture. [First attested in the mid 19th century.][1]
    • 1912, H. Rider Haggard, Marie:
      As the charge exploded I saw the aasvogel give a kind of backward twist.

Usage notes

This word has no currency in modern South African English. It has been used by writers Rider Haggard, John Buchan and Saki to lend colour and authenticity to their works.

See also

References
  1. Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “aasvogel”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 2.
  2. Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 3

Dutch

Etymology

From aas (“carrion”) +‎ vogel (“bird”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈaːsˌfoː.ɣəl/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: aas‧vo‧gel

Noun

aasvogel m (plural aasvogels or aasvogelen, diminutive aasvogeltje n)

  1. bird feeding on carrion, vulture
  2. (figuratively) vulture, a person who profits from the suffering of others

Descendants
  • Afrikaans: aasvoël, (obsolete) aasvogel
    • → English: aasvogel
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