# hickwall

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor).
2. A European green woodpecker (Picus viridis).
3. A blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus.

## Etymology
From Middle English hyghwhele; also highwale (1500s) or highawe (1600s). Rarely attested before the sixteenth century, making the original form difficult to trace. Probably imitative of the bird's cry; compare yaffle (“green woodpecker”). Possibly influenced by witwall, woodwall.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hickwall