In English, a kite is a raptor, an onomatopoeia for the call of the red kite. In French, a kite is a "cerf-volant", a flying deer, but it was originally "serp volant", with "serp" an old word for "serpent". In German, a kite is a "Drachen", which is related to "Drache" or dragon. In Spanish, a kite is a "cometa", a comet, although in Puerto Rico a kite is a "chiringa" instead. In Italian, a kite is an "aquilone", which derives from "aquila", eagle, but with a different etymology is also a north wind. So a kite is two raptors, a deer, a serpent, a dragon, a comet, and a wind. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 31 August 2026, updated on 1 September)