porgy

American  

[pawr-gee] / ˈpɔr gi /

noun

porgy, plural porgies plural

1. Also called common sea bream.  Also called red porgy,.  a sparid food fish, Pagrus pagrus, found in the Mediterranean and off the Atlantic coasts of Europe and the Americas.

2. any of several sparid fishes, as the scup.

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porgy British  

/ ˈpɔːɡɪ /

noun

1. Also called: pogy.  any of various sparid fishes, many of which occur in American Atlantic waters See also scup sheepshead

2. any of various similar or related fishes

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• porgies
  plural
• porgy
  plural

Etymology

Origin of porgy

First recorded in 1715–25; porg(o), variant of pargo, or from Spanish or Portuguese, from Latin pag(a)rus kind of fish, from Greek págros, variant of phágros ) + -y ²

Example Sentences

Among his jazz memorabilia being auctioned are saxophonist Charlie Parker's Associated Musicians Membership Card and an annotated printed score for "Porgy and Bess" by composer George Gershwin.

From Reuters • Jul. 10, 2023

George Gershwin's annotated score for Porgy and Bess will also be showcased, with an estimated price of £10,000-15,000.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2023

Earlier in his career, to protect his role in “The Defiant Ones,” he grudgingly agreed to play Porgy in Samuel Goldwyn’s 1959 film of “Porgy and Bess,” a part that Belafonte had turned down.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2022

Porgy, he said, was an embarrassingly “outdated” part.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

The fact that three white men wrote Porgy and Bess caused unease at the time and has stirred a certain amount of discomfort ever since.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall