Vogel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term of German origin meaning a bird; it may also be used colloquially to describe a person who is seen as eccentric or foolish; additionally, it refers to any member of the class of warm-blooded, feathered vertebrates capable of flight
2. Used primarily in German to denote an avian creature; informally applied to characterize someone acting oddly or silly; broadly encompassing all feathered flying animals within biological taxonomy
3. Refers to a winged creature typically known for flight, often used in conversational German to imply a quirky or odd individual; fundamentally indicating any bird species in natural science contexts

Etymology: In German, "Vogel" descends from Old High German "fogal," and it is a true cognate of English "fowl." Both come from a Proto-Germanic form, *fuglaz, meaning bird. English "fowl" once covered any bird, but it has since narrowed to poultry and game birds. German kept the broader sense, and its speakers still call an eccentric person "ein komischer Vogel," a strange bird. The same spelling also names a crater, honouring the German astrophysicist Hermann Carl Vogel (1841–1907), who studied starlight to measure how fast stars move toward or away from us.

Synonyms: bird (German)