capercaillie

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a very large Eurasian woodland grouse, the male of which has dark plumage and a fan-shaped tail

   At dawn, a capercaillie emerged from the conifers at the edge of the clearing.

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic capall coille, literally 'horse of the woods'. The historical Scots spelling capercailzie preserves the same word; its z represents the older letter yogh rather than an original z sound.

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