button quail

or but·ton·quail

[ buht-n kweyl ]

/ ˈbʌt n ˌkweɪl /

Save This Word!

noun

any of several small, drab, terrestrial birds of the family Turnicidae, with all but one species in the genus Turnix and well distributed in the grasslands of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe: named for their resemblance to Old World true quails, the button quails belong to a different order (Charadriiformes) and are distinct in having neither a hind toe nor a crop.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called hemipode .

Origin of button quail

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby button quail

button man, button mangrove, buttonmold, buttonmould, button one's lip, button quail, buttons, button snakeroot, button suture, button-through, button tow

How to use button quail in a sentence

Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The sound of birds, quail, even doe, make a wild grid of noise.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a hot-button cover story interview with Vanity Fair, Lawrence explained it best.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There is a disconnect, which allows for some distance between his actions and your button presses.
I Felt Like Showering After the First-Person Sex in ‘Grand Theft Auto’|Alec Kubas-Meyer|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"I verily believe they're gone to look at my button," cried Davy, beginning to laugh, in spite of his fears.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Button Gwinnett, one of the signers, died of a wound received in a duel.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
They are brown, ovoid in shape, about 50 long, and have a button-like projection at each end (Fig. 101).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
This is then suspended from a button on the trousers so that the bottle rests against the skin of the inguinal region.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
As soon as the door had closed, Jack Carlson bounded back to his desk, touched a button on an inter-office communications box.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for button quail

button quail

noun

any small quail-like terrestrial bird of the genus Turnix, such as T. sylvatica (striped button quail), occurring in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World: family Turnicidae, order Gruiformes (cranes, rails, etc)Also called: hemipode

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