Word
pheasant
Phoneticspheas·ant
US/ˈfɛzənt/
UK/fˈɛzənt/
Definitions
01the bird
n. a large bird with a long tail; the males usually have very bright, colourful feathers.
n. a large, long-tailed bird of the family Phasianidae, frequently reared in preserves for game hunting.
“We saw a colourful pheasant fly across the field while we were walking.”
“The male pheasant is easily identified by its iridescent plumage and distinctive red face patches, which contrast sharply with the brown feathers of the female.”
Synonyms
02the meat
n. the meat from this bird, which people cook and eat.
n. the flesh of the pheasant used as food, typically considered a type of game meat.
“The restaurant served roasted pheasant with seasonal vegetables.”
“The chef recommended the roast pheasant, noting that its lean, slightly gamey flavour paired excellently with the tartness of the cranberry reduction.”
Formal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Providing supplementary food on farms is widespread as a conservation measure to support endangered wildlife species, including turtle doves, and to sustain gamebirds such as pheasants.” “There were about 20 carcasses, including rabbits, hares, pheasants, a fox and a muntjac deer with its head severed.” Etymology
From Middle English fesaunt, fesant, from Old French fesan, from Latin phāsiānus, from Ancient Greek φᾱσιανός (phāsianós), meaning “[bird] of the river Φᾶσις (Phâsis)”, from where, it was supposed, the bird spread to the west. Replaced native Old English wōrhana, a variant of mōrhana. More at moorhen.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/pheasant