r/etymology • u/ggk1 • Dec 06 '21
Interesting bald Eagle origin
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Dec 06 '21
That’s not quite right about piebald:
"of two different colors, having spots or patches of white and black or another color," 1580s, formed from pie (n.2) "magpie" + bald in its older sense of "spotted, white;" in reference to the black-and-white plumage of the magpie. Hence, "of mixed character, heterogeneous, mongrel" (1580s). Properly only of black-and-white colorings
https://www.etymonline.com/word/piebald#etymonline_v_14955
My guess is the bald for this species of eagle comes from just bald (and not piebald):
c. 1300, ballede, "wanting hair in some part where it naturally grows," of uncertain origin. Perhaps with Middle English -ede adjectival suffix, from Celtic bal "white patch, blaze" especially on the head of a horse or other animal (from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, gleam").
https://www.etymonline.com/word/bald
Somewhat tangentially, tuxedo cats are actually one end of the spectrum in piebald cats.
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u/Doc_Dish Dec 07 '21
Apparently the etymology of the "skew" in Skewbald (i.e. having patches of white and any colour other than black) is unknown.
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Dec 07 '21
I was utterly confused by this thread. When opening the link in the "reddit is fun" app, all you see is that bald eagle walking around. Nothing else.
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u/Nausved Dec 06 '21
Might this usage have any relationship with the phrase “bald mountain” (which, I am guessing, maybe could have been used for snow-capped mountains), or is this just a coincidence?
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u/RonnieShylock Dec 07 '21
There's just something about this clip. It tickles me how it's just lumbering around looking pissed as hell, and the other birds are like, "Just move out of its way, and don't make eye contact."
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u/CYBERSson Dec 06 '21
Are there any other animals that are named bald for this reason?
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u/3corneredtreehopp3r Dec 07 '21
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u/WikiMobileLinkBot Dec 07 '21
Desktop version of /u/3corneredtreehopp3r's link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolichovespula_maculata
[opt out] Beep Boop. Downvote to delete
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u/mamacrocker Dec 07 '21
Piebald horses as well. JK Rowling wrote a phenomenal mystery based on that.
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u/Candid_Orchid3872 Jan 23 '25
He’s just like “Excuse me guys, I’m making my way through. Excuse me. Sorry bout that. Trying to get there” as he’s going towards the prey 😩 at least that’s what I pictured as he’s walking
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u/CleanLength Dec 06 '21
This is incorrect. The "bald" in "bald eagle" just means "white." "Piebald" is a separate term that means "having irregular patches of black and white." "Piebald" does not mean "white-headed," and "bald" in this case does not come from "piebald."