Etymograph

English

stonechat

From stone + chat.

A compound of stone + chat

Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- ‘to stiffen’

…

Proto-Germanic *stainaz

Proto-West Germanic *stain

Old English stān

Middle English ston ‘a stone’

English stone

Middle English cheteren

Middle English chateren

English chatter

English chat

Today it means

noun Any of various small Old World passerine birds of the genus Saxicola that feed on insects.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “stonechat”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / stonechat