any ground-living bird of the genus Centropus, of Africa, S Asia, and Australia, having long strong legs: family Cuculidae (cuckoos)
Word origin
C19: from French, perhaps from couc(ou) cuckoo + al(ouette) lark
coucal in American English
(ˈkuːkəl)
noun
any of several Old World cuckoos of the genus Centropus, having harsh-textured plumage and a long, daggerlike hind claw
Word origin
[1805–15; ‹ F, said to be equiv. to couc(ou) cuckoo + al(ouette) lark]This word is first recorded in the period 1805–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Indo-European, alpaca, diminishing returns, one-sided, soufflé