Word of the Day : January 28, 2018

popinjay \PAH-pin-jay\ noun

Definition

: a strutting supercilious person

Did You Know?

Popinjays and parrots are birds of a feather. Popinjay, from the Middle French word papegai, is the original name for a parrot in English. The French word, in turn, came from the Arabic word for the bird, babghā’. Parrot, which English speakers adopted later, is probably a modification of the Middle French perroquet, which is also the source of the English parakeet. In the days of Middle English, parrots were rare and exotic, and it was quite a compliment to be called a popinjay after such a beautiful bird. But by the 1500s, parrots had become more commonplace, and their gaudy plumage and vulgar mimicry helped popinjay develop the pejorative sense we use today.

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                                  silent
                                  attractive
                                  custom-made
                                  convoluted







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Aired January 28, 2018

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