partridge

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɑɹtɹɪd͡ʒ/; /ˈpɑːtɹɪd͡ʒ/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English partrich, earlier pertris,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} borrowed from Old French pertris, perdriz,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} an alteration of perdis, perhaps influenced by the feminine suffix -trix,^[3][4] from Latin perdīx,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek πέρδιξ (pérdix).^[2][3][4][5] The Greek name is probably related to pérdesthai “to break wind”, from the whirring noise of the bird's wings,^[3][4][7] a root also found in English fart.^[4] The ending -dge shows the same change from final unaccented -ch as in knowledge and cabbage.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A game bird, especially the grey partridge of Britain and central Europe (c. 1290 in the OED; about 1300 in Barnhart; c. 1300 in Etymonline, with the surname Pertriz from 1176).^[8][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word had many variant spellings, and the forms with -g- emerge in the mid-15th century.^[4][8] It was also used of the bird's flesh as food.^[8][1] In the former British colonies and the United States it was applied from 1634 to various birds of the grouse and pheasant families,^[8] such as the ruffed grouse in the northern US and the bobwhite in the South.^[2][9] The French saying toujours perdrix, “always partridge”, means too much of the same thing.^[7]

Timeline

• 1176 – the surname Pertriz.^[3]
• c. 1290 – the game bird.^[8]
• mid-15th century – forms with -g-.^[4]
• 1634 – American birds such as grouse.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of several plump Old World game birds, especially of the genera Perdix and Alectoris, related to the pheasants.
2. Any of several similar birds, such as the ruffed grouse or the bobwhite.
3. The flesh of the partridge as food.

Word family

• partridgelike
• partridgeberry
• partridge pea

Related words

• fart
• grouse
• quail

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File
8. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House