Partridge
/ˈpɑːr.trɪdʒ/noun
A medium-sized game bird of the pheasant family, often ground-dwelling and short-tailed.
Did you know?The English word was reshaped by folk etymology from Old French forms like *perdriz*, which ultimately come from Latin *perdix*—it’s a classic case of a word being dressed up to sound more familiar in English.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*perd-
“To fart or pass wind”
Ancient Greek
Greek
pérdix (πέρδιξ)
“A partridge”
Latin
Latin
perdix
“A partridge”
Old French
Old French
perdriz / perdrix
“A partridge”
Middle English
English
partriche / partrich
“A partridge”
Modern English
English
partridge
“A partridge”