pettychaps

English

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”).^[1] Alternatively, perhaps directly from petty (in turn from Middle English pety (“tiny”)) and chaps (“jaws”).^[2] Attested from the 1670s.

Noun

pettychaps (plural pettychaps)

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).

References

^ “pettichaps, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2020.
^ “pettichaps”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

“pettichaps, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
“pettichaps”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Garden warbler on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Sylvioidea on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
Category:Sylvioidea on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

[1] “pettichaps, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2020.

[2] “pettichaps”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

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