Translingual

Wikispecies

Proper noun

Gavia f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Gaviidae – the loons or divers, a type of aquatic bird found in many parts of North America and northern Europe.

Derived terms

• Gavia adamsii
• Gavia arctica
• Gavia immer
• Gavia pacifica
• Gavia stellata

Latin

Noun

gāvia f ‎(genitive gāviae); first declension

1. a kind of bird

Usage notes

The identity of the gāvia in Classical Latin is uncertain, possibly the seagull. Modern taxonomic Latin applies the term gāvia to the loon (diver), but Classical Latin called this bird mergus.

Inflection

First declension.

Descendants

• Galician: gaivota ‎(“gull”)
• Italian: gabbiano ‎(“gull”)
• Maltese: gawwija ‎(“gull”)
• Portuguese: gavião ‎(“hawk”), gaivota ‎(“gull”)
• Romanian: gaie ‎(“kite”)
• Spanish: gaviota ‎(“gull”)
• Translingual: Gavia ‎(“loon, diver”)

References

• gavia in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “gavia”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.