Reiger
/ˈreɪɡər/noun
An obsolete English word for a heron, also found as a Dutch surname and loanword.
Did you know?Reiger is related to the German word Reiher and Dutch reiger, both meaning “heron,” while English heron arrived through a different French-mediated spelling of the same Germanic bird-name family.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*raigrō
“A heron or similar long-legged marsh bird”
Old High German
OHG
reigaro
“Heron”
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
reiger
“Heron”
Middle English
English
reyger
“Heron; a marsh bird”
Early Modern English
English
reiger
“A variant or dialectal form for heron”
Modern English
English
Reiger
“Primarily a surname, also preserving the Dutch bird-name form”