popinjay
English · Thesaurus
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popinjay
- /ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/ UK
- /ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English popinjay, popyngeay, popingay, popejay, from Anglo-Norman papegai, papejoie et al., (northern) Old French papejai (“parrot”), probably from Old Occitan papagay (compare Occitan papagai, Catalan papagai), ultimately from Arabic بَبْغَاء (babḡāʔ, “parrot”), of imitative origin.
noun popinjays
- A parrot. [I]nnumerable popingayes of ſundry kindes are found chattering in the groues of thoſe fenny places.
- A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc.
-
A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial.
The very quintessence of popinjay vulgarity is reached when nicely is made to do service for well, in this wise: "How do you do?" "Nicely." "How are you?" "Nicely."
Similar: fop, macaroni, peacock, barbermonger, beau, blade, blood, buck, carpet knight, cockscomb, dandy, dike
- A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage.
- The green woodpecker, Picus viridis.
Translations
Talk about this word "popinjay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/popinjay. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. popinjay. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/popinjay "popinjay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/popinjay.Cite this
@misc{popinjay_2026,
title = {popinjay},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/popinjay},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
