ptarmigan

[ tahr-mi-guhn ]

noun,plural ptar·mi·gans, (especially collectively) ptar·mi·gan.
  1. any of several grouses of the genus Lagopus, of mountainous and cold northern regions, having feathered feet.

Origin of ptarmigan

1
1590–1600; pseudo-Greek spelling of Scots Gaelic tarmarchan, akin to Irish tarmanach

Words Nearby ptarmigan

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How to use ptarmigan in a sentence

  • This bird is a species of ptarmigan, and is pure white, with the exception of the tips of the wings and tail.

    Hudson Bay | R.M. Ballantyne
  • In winter the woods and frozen swamps are filled with ptarmigan—or, as they are called by the trappers, white partridges.

    Hudson Bay | R.M. Ballantyne
  • One or two flocks of ptarmigan, scared by the storm, flew swiftly past us, and sought shelter in the neighbouring forest.

    Hudson Bay | R.M. Ballantyne
  • The rose-finch and the ptarmigan live the year round near the snow-line above the limits of tree growth.

    Your National Parks | Enos A. Mills
  • I don't know whether they are the willow ptarmigan or the white-tail ptarmigan.

    Jack the Young Canoeman | George Bird Grinnell

British Dictionary definitions for ptarmigan

ptarmigan

/ (ˈtɑːmɪɡən) /


nounplural -gans or -gan
  1. any of several arctic and subarctic grouse of the genus Lagopus, esp L. mutus, which has a white winter plumage

  2. (sometimes capital) a created domestic fancy pigeon with ruffled or curled feathers on the wings and back

Origin of ptarmigan

1
C16: changed (perhaps influenced by Greek pteron wing) from Scottish Gaelic tarmachan, diminutive of tarmach, of obscure origin

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