covey
English
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Etymology 1
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French covee (Modern French couvée), from Latin cubō (“lie”).
Pronunciation
Noun
covey (plural coveys)
- A group of 8–12 (or more) quail. See gaggle, host, flock.
- A brood of partridges, grouse, etc.
- A party or group (of persons or things).
- 1906, O. Henry, The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein
- The store is on a corner about which coveys of ragged-plumed, hilarious children play and become candidates for the cough drops and soothing syrups that wait for them inside.
- 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 736
- A covey of grey soldiers clanked down the platform at the double with their equipment and embarked, but in absolute silence, which seemed to them very singular.
- 1906, O. Henry, The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein
Translations
A group of 8–12 (or more) quail
A brood of partridges, grouse, etc.
A party or group (of persons or things)
Verb
covey (third-person singular simple present coveys, present participle coveying, simple past and past participle coveyed)
- To brood; to incubate.
- Holland
- [Tortoises] covey a whole year before they hatch.
- 1869, Florida. Commissioner of Lands and Immigration, Florida: Its Climate, Soil, and Productions, page 108:
- There is a duck called the raft duck, because it is so numerous, coveying together in "whole rafts."
- Holland
References
- 1996, T.F. Hoad, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Etymology, Oxford University Press, →ISBN
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈkəʊvi/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: kōʹvē, IPA(key): /ˈkoʊvi/
Noun
covey (plural coveys)
- (British, slang, dated) A man.
- 1846, Justin Jones, The prince and the queen; or, Scenes in high life:
- 'Pooh!' said he, 'you are as easily wounded as an unfledged dove — don't mind what an old covey like me says — I understand it all.'
- 1850, Waldo Howard, The mistake of a life-time, or, The robber of the Rhine, page 140:
- There vas an old covey as lived in Wapping, at the time I'm telling you of, who vas connected vith us by ties of common interest.
- 1851, William Thomas Moncrieff, Selections from the dramatic works of William T. Moncrieff
- I don't know what would become of these here young chaps, if it wasn't for such careful old coveys as we are—
Synonyms
Translations
slang: a man
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- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English verbs
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- English terms suffixed with -y
- British English
- English slang
- English dated terms
- English heteronyms
- en:Fowls