An American name for the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), named for the harsh, grating 'quawk' call it produces in flight.
An American name for the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), named for the harsh, grating 'quawk' call it produces in flight. The onomatopoeic name perfectly captures the bird's distinctive vocalization. Night herons are crepuscular and often heard rather than seen, making the name especially apt. 'Quawk' also refers more generally to the loud, harsh calls of herons and similar birds.
Something quawked in the reeds as they paddled past, startling them both.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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The harsh call of this or other birds.
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Of birds, to give loud, harsh vocalisations.
"quawk" means: Of birds, to give loud, harsh vocalisations.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"quawk" means: Of birds, to give loud, harsh vocalisations.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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(US) The black-crowned night heron, .
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