Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

popinjay

/ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.54 in modern English

Syllables
popin-jay
IPA
/ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/
22
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A parrot.

noun

A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc.

Obsolete

noun

A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial.

Dated

noun

A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage.

noun

The green woodpecker, Picus viridis.

British usage

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/
  • British English: /ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

popinjays (plural)

Synonyms

fop macaroni peacock barbermonger beau blade blood buck carpet knight cockscomb dandy dike

Questions

How do you pronounce popinjay?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/.
What does popinjay mean?
A parrot.
Where does popinjay come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce popinjay

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “popinjay”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɑpənˌd͡ʒeɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “popinjay”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “popinjay” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.