partridge
1 Americannoun
plural
partridges,plural
partridge-
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.
noun
noun
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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
noun
Other Word Forms
- partridgelike adjective
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.
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
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
On the first day of Christmas, it will set shoppers back $280.18 to buy a partridge in a pear tree for their true love — a 25.8% increase from last year.
From Washington Times • Dec. 23, 2022
She was in it—the plump partridge who had always been helpless.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
