covey

See also: Covey

English
WOTD – 13 October 2023

Etymology 1
A covey (sense 1) of common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus).

The noun is derived from Middle English covei, covey (“brood of partridges, covey; volley of shot; kind of gun”) [and other forms],[1] from Old French covée (“brood (of chickens), clutch”) (modern French couvée), a noun use of the feminine past participle of cover (“to brood (an egg)”) (modern French couver), from Latin cubāre,[2] the present active infinitive of cubō (“to lie down, recline; to incubate; to be broody”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (“to lie down”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

cognates

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: kŭvʹē, IPA(key): /ˈkʌvi/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌvi
  • Hyphenation: cov‧ey

Noun

covey (plural covies or coveys)

  1. A brood or family of partridges (family Phasianidae), which includes game birds such as grouse (tribe Tetraonini) and ptarmigans (tribe Tetraonini, genus Lagopus).
    • [1582, Virgil, “The Third Booke of Virgil His Aeneis”, in Richard Stanyhurst, transl., The First Foure Bookes of Virgils Æneis, […], London: Henrie Bynneman […], published 1583, →OCLC; republished as The First Four Books of the Æneid of Virgil, […], Edinburgh: [Edinburgh Printing Company], 1836, →OCLC, pages 70–71:
      But, loa, with a ſuddeyn fluſhing thee galligut Harpeys / From mountayns flitter, with gaggling whirlerye flapping / Their wings: […] This coouie rauenouſe, and ſwift with a deſperat onſet, / They gripte in tallants the meat, and foorth ſpourged a ſtincking / Foule carrayne fauoure: […]
      Applied to mythological harpies.]
    • 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book X.] The Industrie and Wit of Birds in Building Their Nests. Of the Swallow, the Argatilis, Cinnamologi, and Partridges.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 1st tome, London: […] Adam Islip, published 1635, →OCLC, pages 289–290:
      [S]o leacherous they [female partridges] are, that ſetting aſide the naturall affection and love to their young covie, vvhen they are broodie, […] yet if they hear once the Foulers chanterell comming tovvard the male, and that he doth call, preſently they vvill leave the neſt and ſuffer the egs to chill, and for very jealouſie crie again and call back the males, and offer themſelves to be troden, for feare they vvould goe to others. […] And all this doth ſhe to amuſe the Fouler after her, untill ſhe have trained him a contrarie vvay from the covey. Novv by that time that ſhee is paſt that feare, and freed of the motherly care ſhe had of her young ones, than vvill ſhee get into the furrovv of ſome land, lie along her backe, catch a clot of earth up vvith her feet, and therevvith hide her vvhole bodie, and ſo have both her ſelfe and her couvey.
    • 1603, Plutarch, “Of the Naturall Love or Kindnes of Parents to Their Children”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 219:
      [A]s for the partridges vvhen they be laid for by the fovvler, together vvith their covin of young birds, they ſuffer them to flie avvay as vvell as they can, and make ſhift to ſave themſelves, but the old rovvens full ſubtilly ſeeme to vvait the comming of the ſaid hunters, abiding untill they approch neere unto them, and by keeping about their feet, traine them ſtill avvay after them, ready ever as it vvere to be caught; […] thus they play mock-holiday vvith the fovvlers, and yet vvith ſome danger to themſelves for the ſafetie of their young, untill they have trained them a great vvay off, vvho ſought for their lives.
    • 1713, John Gay, “Rural Sports. A Georgic. Inscribed to Mr. [Alexander] Pope.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, volume I, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], and Bernard Lintot, […], published 1720, →OCLC, page 20, lines 337–340:
      See hovv the vvell-taught pointer leads the vvay: / The ſcent grovvs vvarm; he ſtops; he ſprings the prey; / The flutt'ring coveys from the ſtubble riſe, / And on ſvvift vving divide the ſounding ſkies; […]
    • 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter III, in Romance and Reality. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, pages 34 and 37:
      "Fine shooting," again muttered Lord Merton; "and if I knew Lord Etheringhame, he might ask me to shoot over his grounds." Campbell talks of the magic of a name—yes, if the name be partridges. "Well, Adelaide; but how do you mean to contrive it?" […] A lingering hope of the covies gave unusual animation to her brother's manner, when he hoped their acquaintance was only begun: […]
  2. (by extension)
    1. A group of other birds, such as quail (superfamily Phasianoidea).
      Coordinate terms: bevy, flock, gaggle, host
      • 1952 April 14, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (A Signet Book; Y3814), New York, N.Y.: New American Library, published 1952, →OCLC, page 52:
        Like when you quail huntin' and it's getting dark and you can hear the boss bird whistlin' tryin' to get the covey together again, and he's coming toward you slow and whistlin' soft, cause he knows you somewhere around with your gun.
      • 1977 November, Pete McLain, “Your Great Outdoors—Northeast: Hunting Northern Bobwhite Quail”, in Field & Stream, volume LXXXII, number 7, New York, N.Y.: CBS Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 89, columns 2–3:
        No sooner had I spoken than a covey of perhaps twenty birds flushed wild ahead of us and disappeared into the pine woods. […] Just the slamming of a car door, too much talking, or a fast-moving dog will cause a covey to flush well out of gun range.
    2. (figurative) A group or party of people; also, a group or set of things.
      • [1589], [John Lyly], Pappe with an Hatchet. Alias, A Figge for My God Sonne. […], London: […] Iohn Anoke, and Iohn Astile, for the Bayliue of Withernam [T. Orwin], […], →OCLC; republished as Pap with a Hatchet, London: John Petheram, […], 1844, →OCLC, page 39:
        [T]here is not a better Spanniell in England to spring a couie of queanes than Martin.
      • 1625 (date written), Iohn Fletcher, [Philip Massinger], The Elder Brother. A Comedie. […], London: […] F[elix] K[ingston] for J[ohn] W[aterson] and J[ohn] B[enson], published 1637, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iv, signature H2, recto:
        VVho are they in the corner? As I live, / A covey of Fidlers; I ſhall have ſome muſicke yet […]
      • a. 1662 (date written), Thomas Fuller, “Warwick-shire”, in The History of the Worthies of England, London: […] J[ohn] G[rismond,] W[illiam] L[eybourne] and W[illiam] G[odbid], published 1662, →OCLC, page 124:
        I never did ſpring ſuch a Covye of Mathematicians all at once, as I met vvith at this time, Cervinus or Hart, Cure, John Stacy and Blach, all bred in Merton Colledge.
      • 1854, Thomas De Quincey, “On Murder, Considered as One of the Fine Arts. Postscript.”, in Miscellanies (De Quincey’s Works; IV), London: James Hogg & Sons, →OCLC, page 76:
        The whole covey of victims was thus netted; the household ruin was thus full and orbicular; and in that proportion the tendency of men and women, flutter as they might, would be helplessly and hopelessly to sink into the all-conquering hands of the mighty murderer.
      • 1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “Plenum Opus Aleæ”, in The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume I, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858, →OCLC, page 215:
        Maria, still fondly lingering by Harry's chair, with her hand at the back of it, could see his cards, and that a whole covey of trumps was ranged in one corner.
      • 1906 April, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Love-Philtre of Ikey Schoenstein”, in The Four Million, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co, →OCLC, page 118:
        The store is on a corner about which coveys of ragged-plumed, hilarious children play and become candidates for the cough drops and soothing syrups that wait for them inside.
      • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, London: Faber and Faber, →ISBN; republished in The Avignon Quintet, London: Faber and Faber, 2004, →ISBN, page 736:
        A covey of grey soldiers clanked down the platform at the double with their equipment and embarked, but in absolute silence, which seemed to them very singular.
Alternative forms
  • cove (“of a bird or other animal: to brood, cover, incubate, or sit over (eggs)”) (obsolete)
Translations

Verb

covey (third-person singular simple present coveys, present participle coveying, simple past and past participle coveyed)

  1. (intransitive) To gather into a group.
    • 1649, Edw[ard] Burton, “Of the Triall of Faith and Friendship”, in The Fathers Legacy: Or Burtons Collections. […], London: […] John Clowes, for Mathew Walbancke […], →OCLC, page 117:
      Our fortunes and our ſelves, are things ſo cloſely linked, that vve knovv not vvhich is the cauſe of the love that vve finde, vvhen theſe tvvo ſhall part, vve may then diſcover to vvhich of them affection vvill make vvinge; vvhen they are covied together vve knovv not vvhich is in purſuit; vvhen they riſe and breake, vve ſhall then ſee vvhich is aimed at.
    • 1793, Robert Burns, “Written with a Pencil over the Chimney-piece, in the Parlour of the Inn at Kenmore, Taymouth”, in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, 2nd edition, volume II, Edinburgh: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], and William Creech, […], published 1793, →OCLC, page 238:
      O'er many a vvinding dale and painful ſteep, / Th' abodes of coveyed grouſe and timid ſheep, / My ſavage journey, curious, I purſue, / Till fam'd Breadalbaine opens on my view.— […]
      An adjective use.
    • 1832 January, Charles May, “Sonnets. Day-break on the Scotch Coast.”, in The Pocket Magazine, volume I, London: James Robins & Co. […], →OCLC, sonnet no. I, page 252:
      The lapwing's covied tribes forsake / The fens, to seek the glassy lake.
      An adjective use.
    • 1869, J[ohn] S[ullivan] Adams, quoting The New York World, “Florida”, in Florida: Its Climate, Soil, and Productions, […], Jacksonville, Fla.: […] Edw[ar]d M. Cheney, […], →OCLC, page 108:
      There are immense quantities of wild ducks on the rivers, but they are shy, and it is difficult to approach near enough to shoot them. There is a duck called the raft duck, because it is so numerous, coveying together in "whole rafts."
    • 1977 November, Pete McLain, “Your Great Outdoors—Northeast: Hunting Northern Bobwhite Quail”, in Field & Stream, volume LXXXII, number 7, New York, N.Y.: CBS Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 89, columns 2–3:
      No sooner had I spoken than a covey of perhaps twenty birds flushed wild ahead of us and disappeared into the pine woods. They were not coveyed up, but were scattered out over 100 yards, feeding.
Alternative forms
Derived terms
  • covie (“of a bird or other animal: to brood, cover, incubate, or sit over (eggs)”) (possibly)
Translations
to gather into a group — see group

Etymology 2

From cove +‎ -y (diminutive suffix).[3] Cove is derived from Romani kodo (“this one; him”) or kova (“that person”).

Pronunciation

Noun

covey (plural coveys)

  1. (British, familiar, slang, dated) A male person, a man; a chap, a chappie.
    Synonyms: (Britain) bloke, (Britain) cove, fellow, guy; see also Thesaurus:man
    • 1821 September (first performance), William T[homas] Moncrieff, “Tom and Jerry; or, Life in London”, in Selection from the Dramatic Works of William T. Moncrieff. […], volume III, London: Hailes Lacy, […], published 1851, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 43:
      I don't know what would become of these here young chaps, if it wasn't for such careful old coveys as we are— […]
    • 1837 May, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Oliver Walks to London, and Encounters on the Road a Strange Sort of Young Gentleman”, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], published 1838, →OCLC, page 123:
      Hullo! my covey, what's the row?
    • 1846, Justin Jones, The Prince and the Queen; or, Scenes in High Life: A Romance of the Court of St. James, Boston, Mass.: U.S. Pub. Co., →OCLC:
      'Pooh!' said he, 'you are as easily wounded as an unfledged dove—don't mind what an old covey like me says—I understand it all.'
    • 1850, Waldo Howard, “The Burglar’s Story”, in The Mistake of a Life-time: or, The Robber of the Rhine Valley. […], Boston, Mass.: F. Gleason, […], →OCLC, page 140, column 2:
      There vas an old covey as lived in Wapping, at the time I'm telling you of, who vas connected vith us by ties of common interest.
      The spelling attempts to reproduce Cockney pronunciation.
Translations
(familiar, slang) man — see fellow

References
  1. “cǒvei(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. “covey, n.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023; “covey, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  3. “covey, n.3”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023.

Further reading

Anagrams
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