capercaillie

[kap-er-keyl-yee]

noun

a large grouse, Tetrao urogallus, of Eurasian forests.

Also cap·er·cail·zie

[kap-er-keyl-yee, -keyl-zee] /ˌkæp ərˈkeɪl yi, -ˈkeɪl zi/.

Origin of capercaillie

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for capercaillie

Historical Examples of capercaillie

To give an instance nearer home, the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) was successfully introduced into Scotland in 1837.
The History of the European Fauna
R. F. Scharff
The Capercaillie hen makes her nest upon the ground, and lays from six to twelve eggs.
British Birds in their Haunts
Rev. C. A. Johns
The Black Cock resembles, in one of its most striking peculiarities, its near relative, the Capercaillie.
British Birds in their Haunts
Rev. C. A. Johns

British Dictionary definitions for capercaillie

capercaillie

capercailzie (ˌkæpəˈkeɪljɪ, -ˈkeɪlzɪ)

noun

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

Word Origin for capercaillie

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