sparrowhawk

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noun

A Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, a small, short-winged European hawk that preys on smaller birds.

OriginMiddle English sparhauk ← Old English spearhafoc ← Proto-West Germanic *sparwahabuk →
UncommonScrabble 26
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Meanings

nounsparrowhawk (plural sparrowhawks)

plural sparrowhawks · alternative sparrow-hawk · alternative sparrow hawk · alternative sparhawk · alternative spar-hawk

  1. A Eurasian sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, a small, short-winged European hawk that preys on smaller birds.
    1. falconryA female such bird, a male being a musket.
  2. Any of numerous other relatively small birds of Old World species of Accipiter, that prey on smaller birds or otherwise resemble A. nisus.
  3. alternativeAlternative form of sparrow hawk; American kestrel, Falco sparverius, of similar size and habit.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
eurasian sparrowhawk

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*sparwahabukaz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*sparwahabuk
  3. Old Englishspearhafoc
  4. Middle Englishsparhauk
  5. Englishsparrowhawk

From Middle English sparhauk, sperhauk, from Old English spearhafoc, spearhabuc (“sparrow-hawk”), from Proto-West Germanic *sparwahabuk, from Proto-Germanic *sparwahabukaz, equivalent to sparrow + hawk. Cognate with Danish spurvehøg (“sparrowhawk”), Swedish sparvhök (“sparrowhawk”), Icelandic sparrhaukur (“sparrowhawk”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan esparver
  • esparverany of many other species of Accipiter
French épervier
  • épervierany of many other species of Accipiter
German Sperber
  • Sperberany of many other species of Accipiter
Indonesian elang-alap
  • elang-alapany of many other species of Accipiter
Polish krogulec
  • krogulecany of many other species of Accipiter
Cite this entry
APA

sparrowhawk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrowhawk

MLA

“sparrowhawk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrowhawk. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sparrowhawk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparrowhawk.

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