popinjay
/ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/
"popinjay" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“popinjay” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A parrot.
Corpus desk
Index EN-popinjay · popinjay · English
popinjay · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | popinjay |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “popinjay” in English
Rare enough to double-check
popinjay is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for popinjay in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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 (… The correct English form is popinjay, spelled P-O-P-I-N-J-A-Y.
Definition
- 1A parrot.
- 2A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc.
- 3A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial.
- 4A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage.
- 5The green woodpecker, Picus viridis.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how popinjay appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[I]nnumerable popingayes of ſundry kindes are found chattering in the groues of thoſe fenny places.
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."
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.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.