aasvogel

See also: Aasvogel and Aasvögel

English

Alternative forms

aasvoel

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans aasvogel (“vulture”) (obsolete), from aas (“carrion”) + vogel (“bird”), from Dutch.[1][2]

Cognate Afrikaans aasvoël

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɑːsˌfəʊ.ɡəl/[1]
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɑsˌfoʊ.ɡəl/[1]

Noun

aasvogel (plural aasvogels)

(South Africa, rare, literary) Vulture. [First attested in the mid 19^th century.][1]
- 1912, H. Rider Haggard, Marie:
  As the charge exploded I saw the aasvogel give a kind of backward twist.

Usage notes

This word has no currency in modern South African English. It has been used by writers Rider Haggard, John Buchan and Saki to lend colour and authenticity to their works.

References

“aasvogel” in Lesley Brown, editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 2.
Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 3

Dutch

Etymology

From aas (“carrion”) +‎ vogel (“bird”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈaːsˌfoː.ɣəl/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: aas‧vo‧gel

Noun

aasvogel m (plural aasvogels or aasvogelen, diminutive aasvogeltje n)

bird feeding on carrion, vulture
(figuratively) vulture, a person who profits from the suffering of others

Descendants

Afrikaans: aasvoël
→ English: aasvogel

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[SOED-1] “aasvogel” in Lesley Brown, editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 2.

[WI3-2] Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 3