aigle

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French aigle, from Old French aigle, itself either borrowed from Old Occitan aigla or taken from Latin aquila, though not as a popular term. Cf. the Old French and regional form aille, which may be popularly inherited.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɛɡl/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

aigle m (plural aigles)

  1. eagle (any of a number of species of birds of prey)
  2. (figuratively) a man of ingenuity and superior talent; a genius

Usage notes

  • The term aigle doesn't have a one-to-one translation between French and English. Some species known as eagles in English are known as pygargues in French.

Derived terms

Noun

aigle f (plural aigles)

  1. a female eagle
  2. (heraldry) a representation an eagle; the eagle as a heraldic symbol

Further reading

Anagrams

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French aigle.

Noun

aigle f (plural aigles)

  1. eagle

Descendants

  • French: aigle

Old French

Etymology

Either borrowed from Old Occitan aigla or taken from Latin aquila. Cf. the variant form aille, which may be popularly inherited.

Noun

aigle oblique singularm (oblique plural aigles, nominative singular aigles, nominative plural aigle)

  1. eagle (animal)
    • 1260–1267, Brunetto Latini, “De tous Faucons [On all falcons]” (chapter 150), Book 5, in Livres dou Tresor [Book of Treasures]; republished as Polycarpe Chabaille, compiler, Li livres dou tresor par Brunetto Latini[1], Paris: Imprimerie impériale, 1863, page 203:
      La sisisme ligne est sourpoins. Cist est molt grans, et resemble aigle blanche, mais des oilz et des eles et dou bec est il semblables au girfaut
      The sixth kind [of falcon] is the saker. It is very large, and resembles the white eagle; but in the eyes, and in the wings, and in the beak, it is similar to the gyrfalcon

Descendants

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English egle, from Anglo-Norman egle, from Old French aigle, from Latin aquila.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈeɡl/

Noun

aigle (plural aigles)

  1. eagle

References