popinjay

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/, /ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English papejay, popingay “parrot”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Old French papegai (“parrot”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Spanish papagayo,^[2][3][4] from Arabic بَبَّغَاء (babbaḡāʾ, “parrot”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Persian babġā.^[2][3][4] Etymonline suggests the word may imitate the bird's cry,^[4] and that the ending was assimilated to jay.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A parrot (1322 in Barnhart; before 1310 in the OED), and as a surname from 1270.^[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

In the early 14th century the word was used of people in a complimentary sense, for beauty and rarity.^[4] It also named the figure of a parrot set on a pole as a target for archers and gunners (from the 16th century).^[4][6][1] The sense of a vain, talkative person is first recorded in 1528,^[3][4] and the word also names the green woodpecker in British dialect.^[6][1]

Timeline

• 1270 – as a surname.^[3]
• 1322 – a parrot; the figure of a parrot.^[3]
• 1528 – a vain, talkative person.^[3][4]
• 16th century – a parrot used as a target.^[1]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A vain, talkative or pretentious person; a fop or coxcomb.
2. (archaic) A parrot.
3. (archaic) The figure of a parrot on a pole, used as a target in shooting.
4. (British dialect) The green woodpecker.

Related words

• parrot
• jay

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 j 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 k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press