ptarmigan

noun

ptar·​mi·​gan ˈtär-mi-gən How to pronounce ptarmigan (audio)
plural ptarmigan or ptarmigans
: any of various grouses (genus Lagopus) of northern regions with completely feathered feet

Illustration of ptarmigan

Illustration of ptarmigan
  • A summer plumage
  • B winter plumage

Examples of ptarmigan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Travelers can go snowshoeing, marvel at frozen waterfalls, go sledding, cross-country skiing, and look for wildlife like the snowshoe hare, white-tailed ptarmigan, coyote, elk, and mule deer. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2024 But as temperatures rise, the treeline is creeping upward—and shrinking the ptarmigan’s already small habitat in the process. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2024 Pale white willow ptarmigans flap through a frozen alpine landscape, seemingly invisible against the snow. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2024 He was taken a thousand miles south to a TB sanatorium in Hamilton, Ontario, where the teen boy – used to roaming land and sea to hunt ptarmigan, seals and narwhal – was confined to a bed, not allowed to get up and walk. Melody Schreiber, NPR, 2 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for ptarmigan 

Word History

Etymology

modification of Scottish Gaelic tarmachan

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ptarmigan was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near ptarmigan

Cite this Entry

“Ptarmigan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ptarmigan. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ptarmigan

noun
ptar·​mi·​gan ˈtär-mi-gən How to pronounce ptarmigan (audio)
plural ptarmigan or ptarmigans
: any of various grouses of northern regions with completely feathered feet

More from Merriam-Webster on ptarmigan

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!