popinjay

American  

[pop-in-jey] / ˈpɒp ɪnˌdʒeɪ /

noun

1. a person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter; coxcomb; fop.

2. British Dialect. a woodpecker, especially the green woodpecker.

3. Archaic. the figure of a parrot usually fixed on a pole and used as a target in archery and gun shooting.

4. Archaic. a parrot.

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popinjay British  

/ ˈpɒpɪnˌdʒeɪ /

noun

1. a conceited, foppish, or excessively talkative person

2. an archaic word for parrot

3. the figure of a parrot used as a target

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Etymology

Origin of popinjay

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English papejay, popingay, papinjai(e), from Middle French papegai, papingay “parrot,” ultimately from Arabic bab(ba)ghā', probably imitative of the bird's cry

Example Sentences

As are the old-fashioned words — like “martinet,” “popinjay” and “annealed” — that Galloway sprinkles through the text, the way Leigh strewed the beloved posies from her various country estates.

From New York Times

While Gaudi doesn’t hide his contempt for the popinjays and idiots who wasted the lives of good men, he is unstinting in his admiration for heroism and self-sacrifice.

From Washington Post

Protest the power of privileged popinjays who for years turned blind eyes to systematic cheating by the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but won’t let teenagers take medicines prescribed for asthma and ADHD.

From Washington Post

The Daily Mail called him an “egotistical preening popinjay.”

From Washington Post

Such permission had not been granted in decades, and many British newspapers were indignant, describing Mr. Bercow the next day as a “sweaty, self-important gnome” and an “egotistical preening popinjay.”

From New York Times