Names
Kauri (Kaur)
Loon. One of the mysteries of modern-day life: I, British-born, never heard any name but ‘loon’, although it seems to be the American name, while Europeans say ‘diver’... Four species breeding in Estonia:
- järvekaur, black-throated diver or arctic loon, Gavia arctica
- jääkaur, great northern diver or common loon, G. immer
- punakurk-kaur, red-throated diver or loon (Eur. or US name), G. stellata
- tundrakaur, white- or yellow-billed diver (bill color debated, more likely yellow here), G. adamsii.
Part of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. See also Kiuru.
Compare with Kauri 1
Keava (Keava)
Hamlet close to Kehtna in Raplamaa. One of the group of streets named for stations on the Tallinn-Türi Kitsarööpa line (it no longer is). The name Keava comes from a 15th-C (or much earlier, sources uncertain) manor known as Kedenpäh, Kedempe (1410), etc., the earliest record of which is that of an uncertain attack by Izyaslav Yaroslavich, Grand Duke of Kiev and Novgorod in 1054, and a mishmash translation of осек Кедипив (osek Kedipiv), possibly suggesting a wooden defensive structure (осек) and confusing Кеди and пив for old Estonian words for ‘hand’ and ‘sun’. The Keava Hillfort predates this, with archaeological evidence identifying its use over at least the previous 500 years, constructed in 5 phases between the 5th and 11th centuries. It’s quieter now. See Lelle.
Kedriku (Kedrik)
Moth of the lasiocampid family, aka eggars or snout moths. Common to Estonia are lehekedrik, the lappet, Gastropacha quercifolia; männikedrik, the pine-tree lappet, Dendrolimus pini; rohukedrik, the drinker, Euthrix potatoria (name said due to its penchant for dew); and aia-rõngakedrik, disrespectfully known as ‘the lackey’, Malacosoma neustria; as well as its lowlier cousin niidu-rõngakedrik, the ground lackey, M. castrense, rare in Estonia, other than Saaremaa. Part of a lepidopteran group. See also Kirilase.
