pheasant
pronunciation
How to pronounce pheasant in British English:
UK [ˈfeznt]
How to pronounce pheasant in American English:
US [ˈfɛzənt]
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- Noun:
- large long-tailed gallinaceous bird native to the Old World but introduced elsewhere
- flesh of a pheasant; usually braised
Word Origin
- pheasant
- pheasant: [13] Etymologically, the pheasant is a bird from the ‘Phasis’. This was a river in the Caucusus, where the pheasant is supposed according to legend to have originated. The Greeks therefore called it phāsiānós, the ‘Phasian bird’, and the word passed into English via Latin phāsiānus and Anglo-Norman fesaunt.
- pheasant (n.)
- late 13c. (mid-12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French fesaunt, Old French faisan (13c.) "pheasant," from Latin phasianus, from Greek phasianos "a pheasant," literally "Phasian bird," from Phasis, river flowing into the Black Sea in Colchis, where the birds were said to have been numerous. The ph- was restored in English late 14c. (see ph). The excrescent -t is due to confusion with -ant suffix of nouns formed from present participle of verbs in first Latin conjugation (peasant, tyrant, etc.).
Example
- 1. Everybody was just sitting around now waiting for deer and pheasant to open .
- 2. A hunter brought in pheasant and hare and we had to pluck and clean them .
- 3. We know she likes irish stew , rissoles ( pheasant , preferably ) , and a good cup of tea .
- 4. China is the world centre for pheasants , boasting 62 out of 200 species worldwide : the tail feathers of the reeve 's pheasant , 60 inches ( 150cm ) long , are prized for headgear in peking opera .
- 5. If I were will , I might start thinking of other ways I could contribute to the marriage , like maybe bringing home some freshly killed pheasant for dinner so at least kate can cut down on trips to the market .