Nightingale

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnaɪtɪŋɡeɪl/

Definitions

1. A small brown songbird known for its loud, melodious voice, particularly heard singing at night during breeding season
2. A diminutive brown songbird distinguished by its powerful nighttime melodies and prominent role in poetry and folklore
3. A compact brown bird famous for its strong and beautiful songs heard especially after dark

Etymology: The bird was named long before the nurse. Its Old English name, "nihtegala" or "nihtegale," literally meant "night-singer," from "niht" (night) and a second element related to the old verb "galan," to sing or chant, so the compound described exactly what the bird does after dark. The Old English word also carried a sense of "night-raven," and the same compound appears across the Germanic languages, in Dutch "nachtegaal," German "Nachtigall," and Swedish "näktergal." Over the Middle English period the word shifted in form, and an intrusive "n" crept in, giving the familiar modern spelling. Its English history therefore stretches back well before the Victorian reformer who lent her name to the word's modern reputation. The name Florence Nightingale is simply a coincidence of surname, not the source of the bird's name.