owlet
noun/ˈaʊlət/
Etymology From owl + -et. Compare howlet.
1
Diminutive Diminutive of owl.
- And in faith Sir unlesse your hospitalitie doe releeve us, wee are like to wander with a sorrowfull hey ho, among the owlets, & Hobgoblins of the Forrest […]c. 1590 (date written), G[eorge] P[eele], The Old Wiues Tale. […], London: […] Iohn Danter, for Raph Hancocke, and Iohn Hardie, […], published 1595, →OCLC:
- Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
1 more example
- […] and bold with joy, Forth from his dark and lonely hiding-place (Portentous sight) the owlet, ATHEISM, Sailing on obscene wings athwart the noon, Drops his blue-fringed lids, and holds them close, And, hooting at the glorious sun in heaven, Cries out, “where is it?”1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Fears in Solitude, London: J. Johnson, pages 4–5:
2
A young owl; owling.
3
One of a species of small owls, such as Athene noctua.
4
An owlet moth.
- Noticeable features found in many of the owlets are two markings that often appear on the upper forewings.2023, John Himmelman, Discovering Moths, page 39:
- Derived terms
- Asian barred owlet, false owlet moth, long-whiskered owlet, morbid owlet, owlet moth, owlet-nightjar, spotted owlet