ortolan

[ awr-tl-uhn ]

noun

1. an Old World bunting, Emberiza hortulana, esteemed as a table delicacy.
2. the bobolink.

ortolan

/ ˈɔːtələn /

noun

1. Also calledortolan bunting a brownish Old World bunting, Emberiza hortulana, regarded as a delicacy
2. any of various other small birds eaten as delicacies, esp the bobolink

Word History and Origins

Origin of ortolan¹

1520–30; < French < Provençal: literally, gardener (i.e., frequenting gardens) < Latin hortulānus, equivalent to hortul ( us ) little garden ( hort ( us ) garden + -ulus -ule ) + -ānus -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of ortolan¹

C17: via French from Latin hortulānus, from hortulus, diminutive of hortus garden

Example Sentences

I want to talk about the ortolan scene.

From Salon

If there is a single dish that has come to symbolise humans’ willingness to eat other animals out of existence, it is the ortolan bunting.

From The Guardian

In the inevitable cannibalism sprees that tend to break out among families like the Roys, the nice ones tend to be roasted and eaten first, and with the gusto of a gourmand devouring an ortolan.

From Salon

Four species were in the worst trouble: the ortolan bunting, the ruff, the golden oriole and the greenfinch.

From New York Times

They had, it was murmured, dined like kings, eating turtle soup and ortolans, washed down with bottle upon bottle of champagne.

From Economist