ptarmigan
Americannoun
plural
ptarmigans,plural
ptarmigannoun
-
any of several arctic and subarctic grouse of the genus Lagopus, esp L. mutus, which has a white winter plumage
-
(sometimes capital) a created domestic fancy pigeon with ruffled or curled feathers on the wings and back
Etymology
Origin of ptarmigan
1590–1600; pseudo-Greek spelling of Scots Gaelic tarmarchan, akin to Irish tarmanach
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.
According to the federal proposed rule for listing the species, rising temperatures associated with climate change are expected to have direct and rapid effects on individual ptarmigan, which experience physiological stress at 70 degrees.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 23, 2023
Scotland is home to Arctic specialists - birds like dotterel, snow bunting and ptarmigan - which are found high on Scotland's mountains.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2022
On the Cairngorm plateau, our sole example of the arctic-alpine biome, the ptarmigan – the only British bird that turns white in winter – is gradually declining, with just a few thousand pairs remaining.
From The Guardian • Jan. 2, 2020
On a recent afternoon, he netted seven ptarmigan and hung the birds outside his front door, their bodies displaying white winter coats.
From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2019
On August 11, he killed and ate one ptarmigan.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
