popinjay
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English popinjay, popyngeay, popingay, popejay, from Anglo-Norman papegai, papejoie et al., (northern) Old French papejai (“parrot”), probably from Old Occitan papagay (compare Occitan papagai, Catalan papagai), ultimately from Arabic بَبْغَاء (babḡāʔ, “parrot”), of imitative origin.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) enPR: pŏʹpĭnjā, IPA(key): /ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/
- (US) enPR: päʹpĭnjā', IPA(key): /ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
[edit]popinjay (plural popinjays)
- (now archaic outside heraldry) A parrot. [from 14th c.; in heraldry from 15th c.]
- (obsolete) A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc. [14th–16th c.]
- (dated) A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial. [from 16th c.]
- 1881, Alfred Ayres [pseudonym; Thomas Embly Osmun], “Nicely”, in The Verbalist[1]:
- The very quintessence of popinjay vulgarity is reached when nicely is made to do service for well, in this wise: "How do you do?" "Nicely." "How are you?" "Nicely."
- (archery) A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage. [from 16th c.]
- (UK) The green woodpecker, Picus viridis. [from 19th c.]
Translations
[edit]parrot — see parrot
vain, gaudy person
|
Picus viridis — see green woodpecker
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Anglo-Norman
- English terms derived from Old Occitan
- English terms derived from Arabic
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with archaic senses
- en:Heraldic charges
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English dated terms
- English terms with quotations
- en:Archery
- British English
- en:Parrots
- en:People
- en:Woodpeckers