Pettychaps

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of several species of small European passerine songbirds, including the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), the chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus spp.), and the western Orphean warbler (Sylvia hortensis).

Synonyms

All synonyms
fig-eaterwestern orphean warbler

Etymology

Uncertain. Probably imitative of the bird’s call, with influence from petty (“small”) and either chap (“jaw; bill of a bird”) or chap (“person”). Alternatively, perhaps directly from petty (in turn from Middle English pety (“tiny”)) and chaps (“jaws”). Attested from the 1670s.

Related phrases

willow warbler

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.