Etymology

From Middle High German wahtel, from Old High German wahtala, from Proto-Germanic *hwahtilō (compare Middle Dutch wachtele), diminutive of Proto-Indo-European *kʷoḱt- (compare Latin co(c)turnīx, Lithuanian vaštaka, Sanskrit चातक ‎(cātaka) ‘pied cuckoo’), metathesis of *u̯ortokʷ- (compare Dutch kwartel, Greek ορτύκι ‎(ortúki), Persian ورتیج ‎(vartij), Sanskrit वर्तका ‎(vartakā)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvaxtəl/, [ˈvaχtəl], [ˈvaχtl̩]