bunting

B3U1N1T1I1N1G2
UK, US/ˈbʌntɪŋ/

noun

Strips of material used as festive decoration, especially in the colours of the national flag.

OriginMiddle English bonten →
Less commonScrabble 10
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Meanings

bunting1

nounbunting (countable and uncountable, plural buntings)

plural buntings

  1. countableuncountableStrips of material used as festive decoration, especially in the colours of the national flag.
  2. countableuncountablenauticalA thin cloth of woven wool from which flags are made; it is light enough to spread in a gentle wind but resistant to fraying in a strong wind.
  3. countableuncountableFlags considered as a group.

bunting2

nounbunting (plural buntings)

plural buntings

  1. Any of various songbirds of the genus Emberiza, having short bills and brown or gray plumage.

bunting3

nounbunting (plural buntings)

plural buntings

  1. A warm, often hooded infant garment, as outerwear or sleepwear, similar to a sleeper or sleepsack; especially as baby bunting or bunting bag.

bunting4

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of bunt
nounbunting (countable and uncountable, plural buntings)

plural buntings

  1. countableuncountableA pushing action.
  2. countableuncountableA strong timber; a stout prop.
  3. countableobsoleteuncountableAn old boys' game, played with sticks and a small piece of wood.

Bunting5

proper nounBunting (plural Buntings)

plural Buntings

  1. A surname transferred from the nickname.

Origin

bunting · noun

  1. Middle Englishbonten“to sift”
  2. Englishbunting

Possibly from dialect bunting (“sifting flour”), from Middle English bonten (“to sift”), hence the material used for that purpose. Possibly from Germanic bundt (“to bind or tie together”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

bunting · noun

  1. Middle Englishbunting
  2. Englishbunting

From Middle English bunting, bountyng, buntynge (also as Middle English buntyle), of uncertain origin. Possibly a reference to speckled plumage, from an unrecorded Middle English *bunt (“spotted, speckled, pied”) akin to Dutch bont, Middle Low German bunt, bont, German bunt (“multi-coloured”) + -ing.

More words from Middle English

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bunting · noun

  1. Scotsbuntin“plump, short and thick (esp. of children)”
  2. Englishbunting

1922, apparently from Scots buntin (“plump, short and thick (esp. of children)”), itself an old term of endearment for children (1660s); the sense “plump” dates to the 1500s, and may be related to bunt (“belly of a sail”). Possibly related to butt (“(both noun and verb sense: buttocks; strike with head)”) or to bunny (“rabbit”). Compare with the nursery rhyme Bye, baby Bunting (1731), either of same origin or influenced this sense.

More words from Scots

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Bunting · proper noun

From bunting, a nickname for someone who resembled the songbird.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans dundoek, vlagdoek
  • dundoekmaterial from which flags are made
  • vlagdoekmaterial from which flags are made
Bulgarian плат за знамена, жълта овесарка
  • плат за знамена (plat za znamena)material from which flags are made
  • жълта овесарка (žălta ovesarka)bird
  • овесарка (ovesarka)bird
Catalan sit
  • sitbird
Czech vlajkosláva, vlajková výzdoba
  • vlajkoslávastrips of material hung as decoration
  • vlajková výzdobastrips of material hung as decoration
  • vlajkovinamaterial from which flags are made
  • strnadbird
Dutch vlaggenlijn, dundoek
  • vlaggenlijnstrips of material hung as decoration
  • dundoekmaterial from which flags are made
  • vlaggendoekmaterial from which flags are made
  • gorsbird
  • gorsjebird
Finnish lippunauha, viirinauha
  • lippunauhastrips of material hung as decoration
  • viirinauhastrips of material hung as decoration
  • lippukangasmaterial from which flags are made
  • sirkkubird
French banderole, bruant
  • banderolestrips of material hung as decoration
  • bruantbird
German Verzierung aus Flaggen- und Wimpelketten, Fahnen- und Bannerdekoration
  • Verzierung aus Flaggen- und Wimpelkettenstrips of material hung as decoration
  • Fahnen- und Bannerdekorationstrips of material hung as decoration
  • Flaggentuchmaterial from which flags are made
  • Ammerbird
Hebrew גבתון
  • גבתון (gibtón)bird
Hungarian zászlófüzér, etamin
  • zászlófüzérstrips of material hung as decoration
  • etaminmaterial from which flags are made
  • moltonmaterial from which flags are made
  • sármánybird
Icelandic flaggdúkur, tittlingur
  • flaggdúkurmaterial from which flags are made
  • tittlingurbird
Irish gealóg
  • gealógbird
Italian festone, bandierine
  • festonestrips of material hung as decoration
  • bandierineflags as a group
  • zigolobird
Latvian stērste
  • stērstebird
Lithuanian starta
  • startabird
Malay gegantung, pepanji
  • gegantungstrips of material hung as decoration
  • pepanjistrips of material hung as decoration
Polish trznadel
  • trznadelbird
Portuguese emberiza
  • emberizabird
Romanian presură
  • presurăbird
Russian флагду́к, овся́нка
  • флагду́к (flagdúk)material from which flags are made
  • овся́нка (ovsjánka)bird
Scottish Gaelic gealag
  • gealagbird
Spanish escribano
  • escribanobird
Swedish flaggspel, girlang
  • flaggspelstrips of material hung as decoration
  • girlangstrips of material hung as decoration
Ukrainian вівся́нка
  • вівся́нка (vivsjánka)bird
Welsh bras
  • brasbird

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bunting

huntingfrontinggruntingstuntingbluntingaffronting
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

bunting. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bunting

MLA

“bunting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bunting. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bunting,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bunting.

Source: bunting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.