pheasant

[ fez-uhnt ]
See synonyms for pheasant on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of numerous large, usually long-tailed, Old World gallinaceous birds of the family Phasianidae, widely introduced.

  2. any of various other birds that resemble or suggest a pheasant.

  1. Southern U.S. the ruffed grouse.

Origin of pheasant

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English fesaunt, from Anglo-French; Old French fesan, from Latin phāsiānus, from Greek phāsiānós (órnis) “(bird) of the Phasis,” a river in the Caucasus

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British Dictionary definitions for pheasant

pheasant

/ (ˈfɛzənt) /


noun
  1. any of various long-tailed gallinaceous birds of the family Phasianidae, esp Phasianus colchicus (ring-necked pheasant), having a brightly-coloured plumage in the male: native to Asia but introduced elsewhere

  2. any of various other gallinaceous birds of the family Phasianidae, including the quails and partridges

  1. US and Canadian any of several other gallinaceous birds, esp the ruffed grouse

Origin of pheasant

1
C13: from Old French fesan, from Latin phāsiānus, from Greek phasianos ornis Phasian bird, named after the River Phasis, in Colchis

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