Russian edit

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [pəpʊˈɡaj]
  • (file)

Etymology 1 edit

Likely borrowed from Dutch papegaai. Attested since 1589.

The sense of a unit of length originates from the Soviet animated cartoon "Тридцать восемь попугаев" (1976), where animals measured the length of a boa constrictor by comparing him to a parrot.

Noun edit

попуга́й (popugájm anim or m inan (genitive попуга́я, nominative plural попуга́и, genitive plural попуга́ев, diminutive попуга́йчик)

  1. parrot (bird)
  2. parrot (person)
  3. a showy and gaudily dressed person; popinjay
    разоде́т, как попуга́й (derisive)razodét, kak popugájgarishly dressed
  4. (inanimate) a jocular unit of length, presumably equal to the length of a parrot
Declension edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
  • Ingrian: popugai
  • Veps: popugai
  • Yakut: попугай (popugay)

Etymology 2 edit

Verb edit

попуга́й (popugáj)

  1. second-person singular imperative perfective of попуга́ть (popugátʹ)

Yakut edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Russian попугай (popugaj).

Noun edit

попугай (popugay)

  1. parrot (bird of the order Psittaciformes)
  2. parrot (one who blindly imitates others' words)
    попугай курдукpopugay kurduklike a parrot