crécerelle

From Middle French cresserelle, crecerelle (“bird of prey”), derivative of crecelle (“rattle, wooden reel”) (modern crécelle), of obscure origin. Derivation from the assumed Vulgar Latin *crepicella, *crepitacillum, a diminutive of crepitāculum, from crepitāre (“to crackle”) is difficult to explain from a morphological point of view. Instead, possibly from a root *krek-, *krak- (“to crack, rattle, creak, emit a bird cry”), possibly from or related to Middle Dutch crāken (“to creak, crack”), from Old Dutch *krakōn (“to crack, creak, emit a cry”), from Proto-Germanic *krakōną (“to emit a cry, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerg- (“to shout”). Cognate with Old High German krahhōn (“to make a sound, crash”), Old English cracian (“to resound”), Middle French craquer (used of birds, “to emit a repeated cry”).

• IPA^(key): /kʁe.sʁɛl/, /kʁɛ.sʁɛl/

crécerelle f (plural crécerelles)

1. kestrel (any of various birds of prey)

The term crécerelle is sometimes, but not always, translated into English as kestrel. Individual creatures may be translated as other names. See for more information on the individual names.

• crécelle

• “crécerelle” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).