Junco
/ˈdʒʌŋ.koʊ/noun
A small North American songbird, especially one in the genus Junco.
Did you know?Junco was first used as a scientific genus name in the 18th century, drawing on a long Latin tradition where names for plants and birds could cross paths in unexpected ways.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yeug-
“to join, bind”
Latin
Latin
iuncus
“rush, reed”
Late Latin
Latin
iunco
“rush; later a name applied in learned usage”
18th Century
New Latin
Junco
“scientific genus name for a group of small birds”
Modern English
English
junco
“a small North American sparrow-like bird”