roadrunner

English

WOTD – 5 January 2022

Etymology

A greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) in Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada, U.S.A.

A lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) in Oaxaca, Mexico.

From road +‎ runner, probably a calque of Spanish correcaminos (“roadrunner”), from correr (“to run”) + caminos (“roads”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹəʊdˌɹʌnə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹoʊdˌɹʌnɚ/
• Hyphenation: road‧run‧ner

Noun

roadrunner (plural roadrunners)

1. Either of two species of fast-running bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family native to North and Central America, the lesser roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) and, especially, the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).

   Synonyms: chaparral bird, chaparral cock, (Southwestern US) chaparral hen, paisano

Derived terms

• greater roadrunner
• lesser roadrunner

Translations

fast-running bird in the genus Geococcyx

• American Sign Language: 𝠃𝤑𝦔񀧡𝤁𝡸񂱡𝤁𝢚񅳁𝣼𝢮񀂁𝤁𝣁񀧡𝤁𝣣񀠁𝤁𝤅񀦁𝣻𝤧񀦁𝣻𝥅񁯡𝤁𝥣񀧡𝤁𝥶
• Arabic: جواب
• Bulgarian: бя́гаща ку́кувица f (bjágašta kúkuvica), зе́мна ку́кувица f (zémna kúkuvica)
• Cahuilla: puuish
• Catalan: correcamins m
• Czech: kukačka kohoutí (cs) f
• Dutch: renkoekoek (nl) m
• Esperanto: vojkurulo
• Estonian: jooksurkägu
• Finnish: juoksukäki
• French: géocoucou (fr) m
• German: Rennkuckucke f
• Greek: γεωκόκκυγας (geokókkygas)
• Hebrew: קוקייה רצנית
• Hungarian: gyalogkakukk
• Irish: reathaí an bhóthair
• Italian: corridore della strada m (properly the greater roadrunner)
• Japanese: ロードランナー (rōdorannā), 道走 (みちばしり, michibashiri), ミチバシリ (michibashiri)
• Korean: 로드러너 (ko) (rodeureoneo)
• Macedonian: земна кукавица f (zemna kukavica)
• Navajo: naatsédlózii
• North Frisian: räänkukütjen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: løpegjøker, veiløpere

• Persian: کوکوی دونده
• Polish: kukawka f
• Portuguese: papa-léguas m
• Romanian: cucul alergător m
• Russian: куку́шка-подоро́жник f (kukúška-podoróžnik)
• San Miguel el Grande Mixtec: súhūn
• San Pedro Amuzgos Amuzgo: toonꞌ, tooꞌn
• Spanish: correcaminos (es) m
• Swedish: tuppgökar
• Turkish: koşar gugukla
• Ukrainian: таязура-подорожник (tajazura-podorožnyk)
• Vietnamese: Chi Chẹo đất
• Xicotepec de Juárez Totonac: pūꞌyūꞌt

Further reading

• roadrunner on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Geococcyx on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Geococcyx on Wikispecies.Wikispecies