ortolan

[ awr-tl-uhn ]

/ ˈɔr tl ən /

Save This Word!

noun

an Old World bunting, Emberiza hortulana, esteemed as a table delicacy.

the bobolink.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of ortolan

1520–30; <French <Provençal: literally, gardener (i.e., frequenting gardens) <Latin hortulānus, equivalent to hortul(us) little garden (hort(us) garden + -ulus-ule) + -ānus-an

Words nearby ortolan

orthotropous, ortho-xylene, orthros, Ortler, Ortles, ortolan, Orton, orts, Orumiyeh, Oruro, ORV

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use ortolan in a sentence

The reed-bird—in the West Indies called “ortolan”—is also found in the same markets with the canvas-back.
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid
There is a small bird called the ortolan, which is highly esteemed by the Italian gourmands.
The Art of Stage Dancing|Ned Wayburn
I will complain no more, my son,” said Lamme, rising up: “the herring is ortolan; malvoisie is small beer to free hearts.
The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Vol. II (of 2)|Charles de Coster
An ortolan thus fed is a perfect ball of most delicious fat, weighing about three ounces.
The Natural History of Cage Birds|J. M. Bechstein

The Ortolan is considered sufficiently fat when it is a handful, and is judged by feeling it, and not by appearance.
Eccentricities of the Animal Creation.|John Timbs

British Dictionary definitions for ortolan

ortolan

/ (ˈɔːtələn) /

noun

Also called: ortolan bunting a brownish Old World bunting, Emberiza hortulana, regarded as a delicacy

any of various other small birds eaten as delicacies, esp the bobolink

Word Origin for ortolan

C17: via French from Latin hortulānus, from hortulus, diminutive of hortus garden

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