Henhawk

/ˈhɛnhɔk/ noun

Definition

A bird of prey that hunts chickens and small birds, such as a hawk or falcon adapted to raiding henhouses.

Etymology

Compound of 'hen' (domestic fowl) and 'hawk' (predatory bird), a straightforward descriptive name formed by common folk classification of birds by their hunting behavior.

Kelly Says

Henhawk perfectly demonstrates how farmers created practical vocabulary—they named predators by what they hunted, so a 'henhawk' was instantly understood as a dangerous threat to the farm!

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