English

golden eagle

From golden + eagle.

A compound of golden + eagle

Proto-Germanic *gulþą ‘gold’

…

Proto-West Germanic *gulþīn

Old English gylden ‘golden’

Middle English gilden ‘formed from gold’

Middle English golden ‘formed from gold’

Old French aigle ‘eagle (animal)’

Anglo-Norman egle

Middle English egle

English eagle

Today it means

noun A large bird of prey, Aquila chrysaetos, that hunts while soaring.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / golden eagle