Hernshaw
/ˈhɜːrn.ʃɔː/noun
A heron, especially a young or immature heron.
Did you know?The word belongs to the same naming tradition that produced hern and heronsew, medieval forms used for the heron before modern English settled on heron.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
hernshaw
“A heron; the form is recorded in medieval English usage.”
Middle English
English
hernsew
“A heron; an earlier related English form, also spelled heronsew.”
14th–15th Century
English
hern
“A heron, from a Germanic bird-name tradition.”
Old French
Old French
heron
“A heron; borrowed into English and eventually becoming the standard form.”
Old English
Old English
sceaga
“A small wood or copse; this is the source of the shaw element in the later form.”
Modern English
English
hernshaw
“A regional or archaic word for a heron, particularly a young heron.”