The story
- Old English · derived fromhlēapan“to leap”
- Old English · inherited fromhlēapewince“lapwing”
- Middle English · inherited fromlapwynge
- English todaylapwing
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.
Words from the same roots
Old Englishhlēapewince all →
winch
Old Englishhlēapan all →
leaplapper-milk
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.