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partridge

partridge

12 4.8
A medium plump wild bird with a short tail often hunted for food
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːrtrɪdʒ/
: perdiz
  • On the farm, he often spotted a partridge wandering through the fields, searching for food.
  • partridge feathers

Some of God's Canaries, you know, couple partridges.

Examples

  • In the silently humming, soft evening air, a partridge warns its chicks to take cover.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • During the hunting season, many people look for partridge as a delicacy for their festive meals.

  • Was the partridge young enough, tender enough?

  • A plump partridge strutted up and down in the garden every evening.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Not to waste too much time, the partridges roasted with the truffles.

  • To my relief, the partridge disappears into a dense, moss-covered patch of forest.

    Blog text (8)
  • For dinner, Elwes and Uncle Harvey ate whatever fish, partridges, or other small game Harvey had managed to kill that day.

    Blog text (7)
  • Now he's hunting partridge.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The chef prepared a delicious dinner featuring partridge stuffed with herbs and vegetables.

Compounds

A common brown bird from Europe often hunted for sport and introduced to North America

partridge pea
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A small American plant with yellow flowers and leaflets that fold when touched, often in prairies and open woods

A medium-sized bird from western North America, larger than a California quail

1 7.9

A small plump bird with grey feathers and an orange face that lives in farmland

A medium-sized ground bird that lives on rocky hills in southern Europe

A large brown bird with red legs that lives in western Europe

A medium-sized mountain bird with grey feathers and red legs

How Plump

turkey
  • US
285 1.0
partridge
12 4.8
pheasant
24 5.9
quail
32 4.2

Surface Forms

partridge singular
partridges plural

Etymology

Partridge comes from the old Latin name perdix for this bird, and English kept a similar sound as the word changed over time. So the name still refers to the plump, ground-loving game bird often seen in fields and hunted for food or sport.