A small jackdaw or a term of endearment based on the bird's name in some dialects.
From 'daw' (jackdaw) plus the diminutive suffix '-kin,' which comes from Middle Low German and was used in Middle English to create small or affectionate versions of words. The suffix appears in modern words like 'lambkin' and 'pumpkin.'
Medieval English loved diminutives—'manniken,' 'bodkin,' 'napkin'—they made the language cozy and intimate. Adding '-kin' to animals was especially common for creatures people saw regularly and felt familiar with.
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