mallerenga

Catalan

Alternative forms

  • mallenga, marallenga

Etymology

Borrowed from Frankish *meisinga. The Catalan form first became *merlenga under the influence of merla (“blackbird”) and then merellenga by folk etymology, influenced by llengua (“tongue”), as tits are considered noisy birds. Finally, metathesis in some varieties yielded the form mallerenga. Compare Occitan mesenga.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (Central) [mə.ʎəˈɾɛŋ.ɡə]
  • IPA(key): (Balearic) [mə.ʎəˈɾəŋ.ɡə]
  • IPA(key): (Valencia) [ma.ʎeˈɾeŋ.ɡa]

Noun

mallerenga f (plural mallerengues)

  1. any native bird of the family Paridae, such as the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) or the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
  2. chatterbox (a chatty person)

Derived terms

References

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