/ ˈfeznt; NAmE / noun
[ C , U ] ( pl. phea·sants or phea·sant ) a large bird with a long tail, the male of which is brightly coloured. People sometimes shoot pheasants for sport or food. Meat from this bird is also called pheasant :
( BrE )
to shoot pheasant
( NAmE )
to hunt pheasant
roast pheasant
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French fesan , via Latin from Greek phasianos (bird) of Phasis , the name of a river in the Caucasus (a mountainous region in SE Europe), from which the bird is said to have spread westwards.