aguzanieves

== Spanish == === Etymology === Alteration of Old Spanish auze de nieves (literally “snow bird”), named for its habit of being seen walking in the snow. The first element, auze, is ultimately from a back-formation of Latin avicella (“little bird”), while the second element is inherited from Latin nix (“snow”). The modern spelling, aguzanieves, is likely the result of folk-etymological influence from the verb aguzar (“to sharpen”), reinterpreting the name as "snow-sharpener". === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /aˌɡuθaˈnjebes/ [aˌɣ̞u.θaˈnje.β̞es] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain) IPA(key): /aˌɡusaˈnjebes/ [aˌɣ̞u.saˈnje.β̞es] (Latin America, Philippines) Rhymes: -ebes Syllabification: a‧gu‧za‧nie‧ves === Noun === aguzanieves m (plural aguzanieves) white wagtail (Motacilla alba) === References === === Further reading === “aguzanieves”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025