lechuza

Spanish

Etymology

The Latin word was noctua (“night bird”), which would have created Old Spanish *nocua or *nochuza. Lechuza apparently resulted from a cross between Old Spanish *nochuza and leche, due to the popular belief at the time that owls came at night to give babies milk.[1]

Pronunciation
  • (Castilian) IPA(key): /leˈtʃu.θa/
  • (Other) IPA(key): /leˈtʃu.sa/

Noun

lechuza f (plural lechuzas)

  1. owl
  2. barn owl

Derived terms

See also

References
  1. Brodsky, Spanish Vocabulary: An Etymological Approach
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