gray partridge
- noun
- /ɡreɪ ˈpɑːrtrɪdʒ/
- US
:
perdiz gris
- During the hunting season, many hunters seek the gray partridge as a prized game bird in the fields.
Examples
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Oxford, U.K., I, p. 230-233. Rotella, J. J. and T. Ratti (1988). Seasonal variation in grey partridge vocal behavior. 90:304-310.
Academic text (2015) -
The grey partridge population was also recorded to be 4 birds/km² in Lal Suhanra National Park (Maan and Chuadhry 2000).
Academic text (2015) -
In the early mornings, the gray partridge can often be seen foraging for seeds in the tall grass.
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The distinctive orange face of the gray partridge makes it easy to identify in the wild.
Synonyms
9
4.8
A medium plump wild bird with a short tail often hunted for food
A small brown bird that lives in fields across Europe and parts of Asia
A common brown bird from Europe often hunted for sport and introduced to North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently compositional: 'gray' simply describes the color of the noun 'partridge', following a common adjective + noun pattern. A B1 learner who knows both words can infer this referential meaning easily, and similar constructions occur across languages.
Etymology
Gray partridge: The name gray partridge comes from the bird's gray feathers and the word partridge for a small, plump game bird, so gray shows its color and partridge tells the type of bird. That's why the name means 'a small, plump game bird with gray feathers' and is used for this bird often seen in farmland.