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)
-
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:
The reserve is home to species including grey partridge, lapwing, skylark, grasshopper warbler and willow tit.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Hunters pay big money to enter the grounds, but they are given express instructions to focus on deer and partridge, and leave the felines well alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
One X user wrote they were “glad that olivia rodrigo and louis partridge are finally dating people their age and not weirdos in their late twenties who think it’s okay to date teens.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
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
Grandma, meanwhile, had finished a beautiful dance fan made of a partridge tail.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
"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
“They are the new urban species,” Partridge said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Partridge was born in Norwich in 1785 and was a demon walker—possibly the first person on the whole planet who walked long distances for the simple pleasure of it.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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
From a reliable producer of affordably priced, good quality wine comes this new line, called “Chac Chac” for the mating call of partridges.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 25, 2022
"In that case," Sancho said, "those partridges will be fine for me."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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