Flamingo
/fləˈmɪŋ.ɡoʊ/noun
A tall wading bird with long legs and pink to reddish plumage.
Did you know?The bird’s name likely passed through Spanish and Portuguese from a word meaning “flame-colored,” which is why its very name carries a vivid fire image rather than a scientific one.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Latin
?
flamma
“flame; blaze”
Latin
Latin
flamma
“flame, fire”
Spanish/Portuguese
Romance
flamengo / flamingo
“flame-colored; the bird named for its color”
16th Century
English
flamingo
“the pink wading bird”
Modern English
English
flamingo
“a tall pink or reddish wading bird”
Explore more surprising origins