*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of avian

From Latin avis (“bird”) + -ian.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Characteristic of or pertaining to birds, or to bird-like or flying creatures.

noun

A bird. · A bird-like or flying creature. · Someone who roleplays or describes themselves as being a bird or bird-like animal character with human characteristics.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin avis (“bird”) + -ian.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Unspecified derivation mentionavisla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "avis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "bird"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin avis (“bird”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "",
        "3": "ian"
      },
      "expansion": "+ -ian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "avis",
      "avis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-ian",
      "-ian#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Characteristic of or pertaining to birds, or to bird-like or flying creatures."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "218306bbe244c01fc03c55fdaf583cc14c0cdacda932b2bcb111d74d060da9e3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8eda18cb381fe9ac16071d7b0f0b0be2f1673ee296a60a4148aadf6a91f4a8af",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 204201
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A bird.",
        "A bird-like or flying creature.",
        "Someone who roleplays or describes themselves as being a bird or bird-like animal character with human characteristics."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "f1fccdbf0025ca9059de93410a348cba41a94dfdcb87eb27b18f61c0ec25b0a3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a7dee5d2d0edd28775b454f8093e09199c87bcf0368ca2b62cb64e8a42b70346",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 204202
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for avian →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXZpYW4