Sparrow

How to spell sparrow

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sparrow

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sparrow mean?

1. nounA small, common brown and grey bird often seen in gardens and towns.

Sparrow in a sentence

• A tiny sparrow landed on the windowsill and pecked at the crumbs.

• Every morning a sparrow sang from the hedge beside the back door.

Where does sparrow come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends directly from the Old English spearwa, the native Anglo-Saxon name for the small brown bird that has lived alongside people for thousands of years. It belongs to a wider family of Germanic words, including the Old Norse sporr and the Gothic sparwa, all naming the same kind of little flitting bird. Scholars connect these forms to an ancient root that may have meant 'to flutter' or simply described any small bird, which fits a creature known for its quick, restless hops. The spelling drifted over the centuries, with the old -wa ending settling into the modern -ow we also see in 'arrow' and 'narrow'. Because the word is so old and so common, it kept its plain Germanic shape rather than being dressed up by later French or Latin borrowing.

How the word is built

• spear- (Old English spearwa: small bird)
• -ow (modern spelling of the old ending)