capercaillie

[ kap-er-keyl-yee ]

noun
  1. a large grouse, Tetrao urogallus, of Eurasian forests.

Origin of capercaillie

1
1530–40; <Scots Gaelic capull coille (by dissimilation), literally, horse of the woods; for first element, compare Middle English capel horse, Old Norse kapall nag, from the same source (probably Celtic ) as Latin caballus horse; spelling lz is early typographical rendering of manuscript spelling l + yogh letter (representing palatal l); compare parallel spelling of surnames Mackenzie, Menzies
  • Also cap·er·cail·zie [kap-er-keyl-yee, -keyl-zee]. /ˌkæp ərˈkeɪl yi, -ˈkeɪl zi/.

Words Nearby capercaillie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use capercaillie in a sentence

  • To give an instance nearer home, the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) was successfully introduced into Scotland in 1837.

  • The capercaillie hen makes her nest upon the ground, and lays from six to twelve eggs.

  • The Black Cock resembles, in one of its most striking peculiarities, its near relative, the capercaillie.

British Dictionary definitions for capercaillie

capercaillie

capercailzie (ˌkæpəˈkeɪljɪ, -ˈkeɪlzɪ)

/ (ˌkæpəˈkeɪljɪ) /


noun
  1. a large European woodland grouse, Tetrao urogallus, having a black plumage and fan-shaped tail in the male

Origin of capercaillie

1
C16: from Scottish Gaelic capull coille horse of the woods

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012