Partridgewood
/ˈpɑːr.trɪdʒˌwʊd/noun
A trade name for several tropical trees or their attractively figured timber, often marked with patterns resembling a partridge’s plumage.
Did you know?Partridgewood is not one single botanical species: the name has been applied to different timbers whose streaked or speckled grain evokes the plumage of a partridge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*perd- / *perdix
“A traditional reconstructed root associated with the partridge name, possibly imitative of the bird’s call”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πέρδιξ (pérdix)
“Partridge”
Classical Latin
Latin
perdix
“Partridge”
Old French
Old French
perdriz / pertris
“Partridge”
Middle English
English
pertrich / partrich
“Partridge; a bird-name reshaped partly under the influence of English words such as “part””
Modern English
English
partridgewood
“A compound of partridge and wood, naming timber whose figured appearance resembles partridge plumage”