Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *varis, from Proto-Uralic *warᴈ. Cognates include Estonian vares, Veps variš, Karelian varis, Erzya варака (varaka), Moksha варси (varsi) and Hungarian varjú. Likely an onomatopoeic word, compare Russian воро́на (voróna).

Pronunciation

• IPA(key): /ˈʋɑris/, [ˈʋɑ̝ris̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑris
• Hyphenation(key): va‧ris

Noun

varis

1. hooded crow, grey crow, Corvus cornix
2. corvid, crow (any bird of the genus Corvus)

Usage notes

Until recently carrion crow (nokivaris, which is rarely seen in Finland but common in England) was believed to be just a black variant of hooded crow or grey crow (which is common in Finland but less common in England). Therefore many dictionaries give “carrion crow” as translation for varis.

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