Eyases

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Nestling hawks or falcons removed from the nest for training in falconry ; young children or inexperienced performers, as in Shakespeare's usage
2. Young birds of prey still in the nest or recently fledged, often kept for falconry ; callow youngsters or untrained actors, as Shakespeare used the term
3. Unfledged hawks taken from the nest to be trained by falconers ; in Shakespearean English, immature children or novice players

Etymology: "Eyases" is the plural of "eyas," a term for a nestling hawk or falcon taken from the nest and trained for falconry. The singular has a curious history. It began as "nyas," which came from the Old French "niais," meaning a young bird taken from the nest before it could fly, related to the idea of simplicity or innocence (the same root that gave English "nice" in its older sense of foolish). Over time, speakers heard "a nyas" as "an eyas," splitting the article from the noun in the reverse direction from how it usually happens, so the initial "n" was absorbed into the article and dropped from the word.

Synonyms: nestling, fledgling