pettychaps

P3E1T1T1Y4C3H4A1P3S1

noun

Any of several species of small European passerine songbirds, including the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), the chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus spp.), and the western Orphean warbler (Sylvia hortensis).

OriginMiddle English pety →
Scrabble 22
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Meanings

nounpettychaps (plural pettychaps)
  1. Any of several species of small European passerine songbirds, including the willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), the chiffchaffs (Phylloscopus spp.), and the western Orphean warbler (Sylvia hortensis).

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
fig-eaterwestern orphean warbler

Origin

  1. Middle Englishpety“tiny”
  2. Englishpettychaps

Uncertain. Probably imitative of the bird’s call, with influence from petty (“small”) and either chap (“jaw; bill of a bird”) or chap (“person”). Alternatively, perhaps directly from petty (in turn from Middle English pety (“tiny”)) and chaps (“jaws”). Attested from the 1670s.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pettychaps. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pettychaps

MLA

“pettychaps.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pettychaps. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pettychaps,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pettychaps.

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