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Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

noun Any of various plump-bodied game birds of several genera in the family Phasianidae, native to Eurasia and Africa and introduced elsewhere.
noun Any of several game birds, such as the ruffed grouse or the bobwhite, similar to a partridge.

from The Century Dictionary.

noun A caunon charge which consists of a number of missiles fired together; a sort of case-shot; a grenade.
noun A gallinaceous or rasorial bird of the family Tetraonidæ and of one or another of the subfamilies perdicinæ, Caccabinæ, and Ortyginæ, of small size as compared with grouse (Tetraoninæ), with four toes, scaly shanks seldom spurred, fairly well-developed tail, and naked nostrils
noun By a misapplication of the name (by English sportsmen and others in South America), species of the family Tinamidæ, as Nothura maculosa, the common partridge of the pampas of the Argentine Republic, and Rhynchotus rufescens, the great or large partridge.
noun In Australia, by misapplication, species of the family Tumicidæ.
noun In New England, by misapplication, the ruffed grouse.
noun In artillery, a large bombard formerly used in sieges and defensive works. Froissart. Compare perdreau.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small gallinaceous birds of the genus Perdix and several related genera of the family Perdicidæ, of the Old World. The partridge is noted as a game bird.
noun U.S. Any one of several species of quail-like birds belonging to Colinus, and allied genera.
noun New Eng. The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus).
noun (Zoöl.) a spurred partridge of the genus Bambusicola. Several species are found in China and the East Indies.
noun (Zoöl.), [Local, U.S.] the woodcock.
noun (Zoöl.) a francolin of South Africa (Francolinus pictus).
noun (Bot.) The fruit of the creeping wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens); also, the plant itself.
noun (Zoöl.) Same as Mountain witch, under Mountain.
noun (Bot.) a yellow-flowered leguminous herb (Cassia Chamæcrista), common in sandy fields in the Eastern United States.
noun (Zoöl.) a large marine univalve shell (Dolium perdix), having colors variegated like those of the partridge.
noun A name sometimes given to the dark-colored and striated wood of some kind of palm, which is used for walking sticks and umbrella handles.
noun (Zoöl.) an Asiatic sand partridge (Ammoperdix Bonhami); -- so called from its note.
noun (Zoöl.) a large spurred partridge (Lerwa nivicola) which inhabits the high mountains of Asia; called also jermoonal.
noun See under Spruce.
noun (Zoöl.) any small Asiatic partridge of the genus Arboricola.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

noun Any bird of a number of genera in the family Phasianidae, notably in the genera Perdix and Alectoris.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

noun heavy-bodied small-winged South American game bird resembling a gallinaceous bird but related to the ratite birds
noun a popular North American game bird; named for its call
noun valued as a game bird in eastern United States and Canada
noun flesh of either quail or grouse
noun small Old World gallinaceous game birds

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English partrich, from Old French perdriz, alteration of perdis, from Latin perdīx, from Greek; see perd- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Via Middle English and Old French, from Latin perdīx ("partridge"), from Ancient Greek πέρδιξ (perdix, "partridge").

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Examples

The wild Turkeys, the wild pigeon, a bird which they call a partridge, but above all the rice-bird, which is the Ortalon in its highest perfection, and from the water the finest ducks that possibly can be met with, and so plenty that when on wing sixteen or eighteen are killed at a shot.

Journal of a Lady of Quality; Being the Narrative of a Journey from Scotland to the West Indies, North Carolina, and Portugal, in the Years 1774 to 1776 1920
The red-legged, or Guernsey, partridge is very superior for the table to the common kind.

The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Jane 1845
PAUL KARCZMARCYK, RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY, NEW ENGLAND: The name partridge actually comes from a European species.

CNN Transcript Dec 16, 2004 2004
In this journey, we found plenty of good mutton, pork, poultry, and game, including the red partridge, which is near twice as big as the partridge of

Travels through France and Italy 2004
Two species of Tinamus and Eudromia elegans of A. d'Orbigny, which can only be called a partridge with regard to its habits.

Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited by H.M.S. Beagle 2003
Two species of Tinamus and Eudromia elegans of A. d'Orbigny, which can only be called a partridge with regard to its habits.

Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited by H.M.S. Beagle 2003
The discussion would involve the winter habits of some of the more common birds, as, for example, the ruffed grouse (commonly though incorrectly called the partridge).

Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study Ontario. Ministry of Education
The ruffed grouse (commonly called partridge) feeds on the buds of trees in winter; its legs and feet are thickly covered with feathers in winter but are bare in summer.

Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study Ontario. Ministry of Education
This we may readily give credit to, from the known fact of our little kestrel and the sparrow-hawk frequently flying off with a partridge, which is nearly three times the weight of these rapacious little birds. '

A History of Aeronautics Evelyn Charles Vivian 1914
Two species of Tinamus, and Eudromia elegans of A. dOrbigny, which can only be called a partridge with regard to its habits.

Chapter VI 1909

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madmouth commented on the word partridge

Of 'that little coquette Katrina':
"She was a blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a patridge; ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as one of her father's peaches"
-Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
I'm intrigued by the 'one ass, two chairs' approach to metaphors of objectification here. A patridge--ie. game--AND a neatly domesticated fruit!

November 16, 2009
sionnach commented on the word partridge

One of the standard endings to Spanish fairy tales is "Y vivieron felices y comieron perdices" (they lived happily and ate partridges). See, e.g. perdices

November 16, 2009
madmouth commented on the word partridge

Sounds like a fine fate

November 16, 2009
bilby commented on the word partridge

Y vivieron felices y comieron Katrinas. Much better.

November 16, 2009
bilby commented on the word partridge

...in a pear tree

January 10, 2010
yarb commented on the word partridge

Citation on woundily.

January 12, 2022