finch meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

finch

noun

/fɪnt͡ʃ/

Etymology From Middle English fynch, from Old English finċ, from Proto-West Germanic *finki, from Proto-Germanic *finkiz (compare Dutch vink, German Fink), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pingos (“chaffinch”). Compare Welsh pinc (“finch”), Ancient Greek σπίγγος (spíngos, “chaffinch”), Russian пе́нка (pénka, “wren”), Sanskrit फिङ्गक (phiṅgaka, “drongo, shrike”).

Any Eurasian goldfinch (of species Carduelis carduelis, syn. Fringilla carduelis).

Any bird of the family Fringillidae, seed-eating passerine birds, native chiefly to the Northern Hemisphere and usually having a conical beak.

Any bird of other families of similar appearance to members of family Fringillidae.

UK, Dated, Slang A woman.

"Well, she could have put it across me for that matter if Dodger, who'd seen her up there, didn't happen to call round to do with the business," admitted George simply. "All these finches seem to get themselves up in the same way nowadays, till I can't tell one sort of tart from another. But I suppose there's something you go by."1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:

Derived terms: 82 terms
Abert's finch, Baltimore finch, Bengalese finch, blue finch, bramble finch, brambling finch, brushfinch, bullfinch, canary finch, Cassin finch, Cassin's finch, chaffinch, cherry finch, citril finch, Cocos finch, cold-finch, copper finch, Corsican finch, cowfinch, crimson-browed finch, crimson finch, crimson-winged finch, cuckoo-finch, cut-throat finch, Darwin's finch, desert finch, double-barred finch, estrilid finch, European finch, fallowfinch, fallow finch, finchbill, finchery, finchlike, fire finch, firefinch, Galapagos finch, goldfinch, gold-naped finch, golden-naped finch, Gough finch, Gouldian finch, Gould's finch, Lady Gouldian finch, greenfinch, ground finch, hawfinch, house finch, koa finch, masked finch, melba finch, mountain finch, oriole finch, owl finch, painted finch, parrotfinch, pinefinch, plum-headed finch, Przewalski's finch, purple finch, rainbow finch, red-browed finch, redfinch, rockfinch, rosefinch, rosy finch, scarlet finch, sharp-beaked ground finch, snowfinch, society finch, spectacled finch, spice finch, star finch, stormfinch, thistlefinch, trumpeter finch, vampire ground finch, warbler-finch, weaver finch, widow finch, yellow-rumped finch, zebra finch
Related terms: aberdevine, amadavat, avadavat, brambling, canary, crossbill, euphonia, redpoll, serin, siskin

finch

verb

To hunt for finches, to go finching.