muisvoël, noun

/ˈmeɪsfʊəl//ˈmœɪsfʊəl/
Forms:
muisvoel, muisvogelShow more Also muisvoel, and (formerly) muisvogel, muisvoogel, muizvogel, muys-voogel.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African DutchShow more Afrikaans (earlier South African Dutch muisvogel), muis mouse + voël bird (see quotation 1955); but see also quotation 1913.
mousebird.
c1808 [see mousebird].
1822 W.J. Burchell Trav. I. 214Muisvogel (Mouse-bird). Colius erythropus of Linnaeus.
1849 A. Smith Illust. of Zoo. of S. Afr.: Aves Pl.2Chizærhis concolor...As soon as it was observed, the Hottentots declared it to be a muis vogel, or Colius, Lin...which was not surprising, since it evinces considerable similarity to birds of that genus.
1867 E.L. Layard Birds of S. Afr. 221Of the three species of this genus found in South Africa and known by the trivial name of Muisvogel or Mouse-bird, this (sc. Colius Erythropus) is the only one that is found in the neighbourhood of Cape Town...They creep among the branches like parrots and hang suspended, head downwards, without inconvenience.
1905 J. Du Plessis 1000 Miles in Heart of Afr. 137Butcher birds and ‘muisvogels’ and finches.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 329Muis vogel,..The former part of the word has reference to the hair-like character of the breast feathers of the bird; some, however, regard it as a corruption of the Dutch word for the crest which the bird has, muts, and others as a corruption of the Dutch word for sparrow, musch.
1920 R.Y. Stormberg Mrs Pieter de Bruyn 7It (sc. peachblossom) has been vandalised by swarms of ‘finks’ and wretched little stiff-tailed ‘muisvogels’ who snip off the blooms most viciously.
1952 Cape Times 27 Nov. 2Muisvoëls are destroying whole orchards of early ripening fruit.
[1955 V.M. Fitzroy Dark Bright Land 78Whole colonies of little birds the Dutch call muizvogels. They..have an appearance almost of grey fur with a tufted crest and long tail.]
1970 M. Muller Cloud across Moon 36Twittering witoogies and muisvoëls squabbling greedily over the glistening magenta pips.
1973 Daily Dispatch 16 June 9The muisvoels..flock in large numbers during the winter and can very quickly strip trees and shrubs of their fruit.
1982 M. Britz Informant, Grahamstown (now Makhanda, Eastern Cape)Muisvoëls and white eyes were the only birds we were allowed to shoot on the farm because they used to ruin the fruit crops.
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Afrikaans
muishond, nounn.Muldergate, nounn.
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