Any of various Old World birds of the family Phasianidae, especially the ring-necked pheasant introduced in North America, characteristically having long tails and, in the males of many species, brilliantly colored plumage.
Any of several other birds that resemble the pheasant, such as the partridge.
[Middle English fesaunt, from Old French fesan, from Latin phāsiānus, from Greek phāsiānos (ornīs), (bird) of the Phasis River, pheasant, from Phāsis, the ancient name for the Rioni River in the Republic of Georgia.]
1299, from Anglo-Fr. fesaunt, O.Fr. faisan (13c.), from L. phasianus, from Gk. phasianos "a pheasant," lit. "Phasian bird," from Phasis, river flowing into the Black Sea in Colchis, where the birds were said to have been numerous. The ph- was restored in Eng. late 14c. The excrescent -t is due to confusion with -ant suffix of nouns formed from prp. of verbs in first L. conjugation (peasant, tyrant, etc.).