pheasant

Meaning

Noun

• A bird of family Phasianidae, often hunted for food.

Origin

• From Middle English fesaunt, fesant, from Old French fesan, from Latin phāsiānus, from Ancient Greek φᾱσιανός, meaning “[bird] of the river Φᾶσις”, from where, it was supposed, the bird spread to the west. Replaced native Old English wōrhana, a variant of mōrhana. More at moorhen.