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Stage 1 of 3
chachalacani
Nahuatl · pre-1500s
"a chatterer, gossiper"
an onomatopoeic word meaning 'to chatter', describing the bird's loud repeated call
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Stage 2 of 3
chachalaca
Spanish · 1600s
"a loud, chattering game bird"
adopted into Latin American Spanish as the common name of the noisy bird
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Stage 3 of 3
chachalaca
English · 1810s
"a loud, chicken-sized bird found from Texas to South America"
borrowed into English ornithological terminology
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