goatsucker

English

Etymology

From goat +‎ sucker, from the ancient folk belief that they sucked milk from goats.

Noun

goatsucker (plural goatsuckers)

1. Any bird in the nightjar family Caprimulgidae.
   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 286:

     "[A]h, that was the woodcock - and the goatsucker - yes, yes! it sounds strange to him, that hasn't heard him[.]"

Alternative forms

• goat-sucker

Translations

Caprimulgidae

• Azerbaijani: keçisağan
• Bulgarian: козодой (bg) m (kozodoj)
• Catalan: enganyapastors (ca) m
• Hungarian: kecskefejő (hu), lappantyú (hu)
• Russian: козодо́й (ru) m (kozodój)

See also

• chupacabras