ortolan
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or·to·lan
(ôr′tl-ən)n.
1. A small brownish bunting (Emberiza hortulana) of Eurasia and Africa, eaten as a delicacy.
2. Any of several American birds, such as the bobolink and the sora.
[French, from Provençal, gardener, ortolan, from Latin hortulānus, from hortulus, diminutive of hortus, garden; see gher- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ortolan
(ˈɔːtələn)n
1. (Animals) Also called: ortolan bunting a brownish Old World bunting, Emberiza hortulana, regarded as a delicacy
2. (Animals) any of various other small birds eaten as delicacies, esp the bobolink
[C17: via French from Latin hortulānus, from hortulus, diminutive of hortus garden]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
or•to•lan
(ˈɔr tl ən)n.
an Old World bunting, Emberiza hortulana, esteemed as a table delicacy.
[1625–60; < French, Middle French < Italian literally, gardener]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | ortolan - brownish Old World bunting often eaten as a delicacy bunting - any of numerous seed-eating songbirds of Europe or North America Emberiza, genus Emberiza - Old World buntings |
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