English
king quail
king + quail
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
…
Proto-Germanic *kuningaz
Proto-West Germanic *kuning
Old English cening
Middle English king ‘king’
English king
Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hurt’
…
Proto-West Germanic *kwelan ‘to suffer, to hurt’
Old Dutch *quelan
Middle Dutch queilen
Middle English quaylen ‘to be afflicted by disease or wasting’
English quail
Today it means
noun Any member of the species Synoicus chinensis of quail.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / king quail