English Explanatory Dictionary

spadger

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A sparrow.
  2. A boy.

Word forms

spadger spadgers

Etymology

Originally British dialect (1850s), from spadge (fronted variant of northern dialect spag) + -er. The northern dialect term spag is a derhoticised form of Scots spurg (“sparrow”), from spur (from Old Norse spǫrr (“sparrow”), suffixless cognate of Old English spearwa) + diminutive suffix -ock, with loss of vowel and voicing of -k to -g after r.

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