hevva

H4E1V4V4A1

interjection

Cry raised when a shoal of pilchards is sighted, signalling for fisherman to man their boats.

OriginCornish hevva ← Old Cornish hedva ← Welsh hedfa →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

interjection
  1. CornwallCry raised when a shoal of pilchards is sighted, signalling for fisherman to man their boats.

Origin

  1. Welshhaid“a swarm”
  2. Welshhedfa“swarming, flocking”
  3. Old Cornishhedva
  4. Cornishhevva
  5. Englishhevva

From the Cornish hevva, a contracted form of the Old Cornish hedva, from Welsh hedfa (“swarming, flocking”), from Welsh haid (“a swarm”).

More words from Cornish, Old Cornish, Welsh

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hevva. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hevva

MLA

“hevva.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hevva. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hevva,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hevva.

Source: hevva on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.