Busard
/ˈbjuːzɑːrd/noun
A buzzard, especially a bird of prey of the genus Buteo.
Did you know?Busard is an English loanword from French, and its wider family is traditionally connected with Latin buteo, the source of the scientific genus name Buteo, although the exact pathway is debated.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
buteō
“A buzzard or hawk-like bird; the form is the traditional proposed ancestor of the later Romance and Germanic bird names.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
busardus
“A bird name associated with the buzzard; the exact relationship to buteo is uncertain.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
busart
“A buzzard or similar bird of prey.”
16th Century
French
busard
“A buzzard, particularly a buteo-like raptor.”
16th–17th Century
English
busard
“A borrowed name for a buzzard.”
Modern English
English
busard
“A buzzard; chiefly an uncommon or specialized term.”