hibou

French

Etymology

Eventually imitative. Possibly from or influenced by a descendant of Proto-Germanic *hūwô and/or *uwwilǭ. Compare Old High German hūwo, ūvo, (h)ūwila and, as a borrowing into Romance, Catalan òbila, òliba. If so, related with English owl. Compare also Latin būbo.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /i.bu/

• audio:

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• Audio (Paris):

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• Homophone: hiboux

Noun

hibou m (plural hiboux)

1. owl (specifically, those species of owls with ear tufts; those without ear tufts are chouettes)

Usage notes

Only seven words in French ending in -ou have their plurals in -oux instead of -ous: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou.

Derived terms

• hibou des marais
• hibou grand-duc
• hibou petit-duc

See also

• chouette

Further reading

• “hibou”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Louisiana Creole French

Etymology

From French hibou (“owl”).

Noun

hibou

1. owl

References

• Alcée Fortier, Louisiana Folktales