Etymograph

English

tickbird

From tick + bird.

A compound of tick + bird

Proto-West Germanic *tīkō

Old English ticia ‘parasitic animal, tick’

Middle English tyke

English tick

Old English bridd ‘chick’

Middle English bird

English bird

Today it means

noun A bird, the oxpecker.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tickbird”. 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 / tickbird