grouse
/ɡɹaʊs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.14 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of various game birds of the subfamily Tetraoninae which inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere; specifically, the red grouse (Lagopus scotica) native to heather moorland on the British Isles.
Countable
Example Sentences
- "Among fowls for the table [of King Henry VIII] are crocards, winders, runners, grows, and peions, but neither Turky or Guiney-fowl."
- "Looke to 't, young growſe: Ile lay it on, and ſure; / Take 't off who's wull."
- "The shy black grouse, “with an eye on every feather,” can only thrive in vast, absolutely undisturbed heath and moorlands. Therefore, unfortunately, there are not too many black grouse."
- "I don’t know whether someone will go to the North Face this year. There you can find pure loneliness. In the base camp, you are only joined by snow grouses. Otherwise, it is extremely quiet, and you have the view of the North Face. You won’t meet anyone at the Kangshung Face too."
- "If you're cast for fatigue by a sergeant unkind, Don't grouse like a woman, nor crack on, nor blind; Be handy and civil, and then you will find That it's beer for the young British soldier."
- "Grouse away!" he growled. "If grousin' made a man happy, you'd be the champion.""
Etymology
Attested in the 1530s, as grows ("moorhen"), a plural used collectively. The origin of the noun is unknown; the following derivations have been suggested: * From Old French grue (“crane”) (modern French grue) or Medieval Latin gruta (“crane”), both from Latin grūs (“crane”). * Borrowed from Celtic or a different Medieval Latin word. * Imitative of the bird’s call. The verb is derived from the noun.
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɡɹaʊs/
- British English: /ɡɹaʊs/