partridge
noun
any of several Old World gallinaceous game birds of the subfamily Perdicinae, especially Perdix perdix.
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partridge
1 American
[pahr-trij]
/ ˈpɑr trɪdʒ /
noun
-
partridges,
plural
-
partridge
plural
-
any of several Old World gallinaceous game birds of the subfamily Perdicinae, especially Perdix perdix.
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Chiefly Northern U.S. the ruffed grouse.
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Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. bobwhite.
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any of several other North American gallinaceous game birds.
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any of various South and Central American tinamous.
Partridge
2
American
[pahr-trij]
/ ˈpɑr trɪdʒ /
noun
partridge
1
British
/ ˈpɑːtrɪdʒ /
noun
-
any of various small Old World gallinaceous game birds of the genera Perdix, Alectoris, etc, esp P. perdix ( common or European partridge ): family Phasianidae (pheasants)
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any of various other gallinaceous birds, esp the bobwhite and ruffed grouse
Partridge
2
British
/ ˈpɑːtrɪdʒ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of partridge
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English partrich, variant of pertrich, from Middle French pertris, variant of perdris, Old French perd(r)iz, from Latin perdix, from Greek pérdix
Explanation
A partridge is a wild brown bird. What is that partridge doing in a pear tree in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas"? Who knows, since most partridges live on the ground and hardly ever climb trees. Partridges are popular with European hunters, but there are very few partridges in North America, although some have been introduced as game birds. The word partridge comes from the Greek perdix and can ultimately be traced back to a Sanskrit word that mimics the whirring sound of a bird's wings.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Schwarzman, who usually arrives by helicopter, also bought the farm next door to host pheasant and partridge shoots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
After six seasons, five Christmas specials, three movies and a partridge in a pear tree, this is the end, until the next time writer and creator Julian Fellowes is struck with inspiration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
The organisation said that was because gamekeepers are trying to protect their grouse, pheasants and partridge - and the profits they bring.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024
While many cultures and individuals still preferred slender women and muscular men, others idealized being "plump as a partridge" as indicative of both health and wealth.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2022
Granddad’s out fishing for trout in the river with a homemade rod or hunting grouse or partridge across the fields.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
"We have deployed specially trained officers to assist with our search of the area today, including helicopters and drones," Partridge said.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Partridge, 23, smiles at this and tells me there is something almost sibling-like about their dynamic, which may explain why they are so comfortable teasing each other.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
The other problem: “They’re just going to poop wherever they hang out,” said Partridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Vulture populations are booming across the U.S., according to Hannah Partridge, who works for the National Audubon Society and studied vultures for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Partridge had heard Kate’s spirits make the sounds of a ship at sea and had watched as furniture mysteriously drifted about the parlor.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
From the passenger seat, I often spotted rabbits fleeing down dirt roads and scampering under bushes, many joined by red-legged partridges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Weeks later, the disease was again confirmed at a commercial gamebird premises near Wrexham, containing more than 20,000 pheasants and partridges.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
The royal family’s 20,000-acre country estate in Norfolk, where Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed spending Christmas and shooting partridges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
They’re not turtle doves or partridges in a pear tree, but they’re family.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2022
The only alarm came when they startled four partridges, which whirred away over the hedge to the west and sailed down, spread-winged, into the field beyond.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
