English
howlet
Howlet comes from Middle English howlat.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500howlat
- Englishearliest quotation 1855howlet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500howlat
- Englishearliest quotation 1855howlet
Earliest quotation: 1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came: “Will the night send a howlet or a bat?…”
Every English word from Middle English howlat
Today it means
noun An owl; an owlet.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English howlat / howlet