Popinjay
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A parrot.
"[I]nnumerable popingayes of ſundry kindes are found chattering in the groues of thoſe fenny places."
- 2 an archaic term for a parrot wordnet
- 3 A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc. obsolete
- 4 a vain and talkative person (chatters like a parrot) wordnet
- 5 A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial. dated
"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.""
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- 6 A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage.
- 7 The green woodpecker, Picus viridis. UK
Example
More examples"My girlfriend Aisha's uncle Haziq was a popinjay, always wearing brightly-colored suits with neon handkerchiefs falling out of his pockets."
Etymology
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.
Related phrases
More for "popinjay"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.