ammer

Etymology

From the second element of yellow-ammer, favoured over hammer owing to the spelling of its German cognate and synonym Ammer (“bunting”). The -(h)ammer element may represent the Old English amore (given in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts as a gloss for the unidentified Latin word scorellus) or -hama (“natural integument”; whence the obsolete hame, of the same meaning); the plausibility of and the lack of conclusive evidence for either interpretation renders the prescriptive favouring of yellow-ammer over yellow-hammer unwarranted.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ăʹmər, IPA^(key): /ˈæ.mə/

Noun

ammer (plural ammers)

1. The yellowhammer; yellow bunting; Emberiza citrinella.

References

• “ammer” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Noun

ammer m, f

1. indefinite plural of amme

Verb

ammer

1. present tense of amme

Noun

ammer f

1. indefinite plural of amme