goatsucker

English

Etymology

From goat +‎ sucker, from the ancient folk belief that they sucked milk from goats.

Noun

goatsucker (plural goatsuckers)

  1. Any bird in the nightjar family Caprimulgidae.
    • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 286:
      "[A]h, that was the woodcock - and the goatsucker - yes, yes! it sounds strange to him, that hasn't heard him[.]"

Alternative forms
  • goat-sucker

Translations

See also
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