witogie, noun

Forms:
Also witoog, and (formerly) witteoogje.
Origin:
South African Dutch, DutchShow more South African Dutch, from Dutch wit white + oog eye + diminutive suffix -ie.
white-eye.
c1808 C. von Linné System of Nat. Hist. VIII. 455The White-eyed Warbler...The Dutch at the Cape, and the Hottentot settlers, call it glass-oog, glass-eye, or wit-oog, white-eye.
1867 E.L. Layard Birds of S. Afr. 116Zosterops Capensis...Witteoogje, lit. white eye; and Glasoogje, lit. glass eye.
[1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 564Witte oogie,..Zosterops capensis. A common name among the Dutch for this small bird, anglicized into ‘white eye’.]
1963 M. Kavanagh We Merry Peasants 110She finds time to see that the field mice and the birds, especially the tiny witogies have for their own use a fruit-laden pomegranate tree in the lush garden.
1974 P. Clarke in S. Gray On Edge of World 35Witoogies, hiding in trees and hedges, little white eyes showing.
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18081974