Bunting

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbʌntɪŋ/

Definitions

1. A type of lightweight fabric often used for decorative purposes, a term for specific small birds from the Emberizidae family, and a sporting term referring to a method of batting in baseball where the ball is gently tapped with the bat
2. This refers to a kind of fabric that is commonly utilized for flags and decorations, a name for small finch-like birds, and a tactic in baseball involving a gentle hit to advance runners
3. A lightweight textile used for ornamental displays, a designation for small, seed-eating birds of the family Emberizidae, and a baseball technique involving a light tap of the bat to move runners

Etymology: Bunting the fabric is the word that probably came first, though its origin is murky. One proposal links it to a dialect verb meaning "to sift flour," since the loose-woven cloth was used for sieving, and that verb traces back to Middle English "bonten." Another suggests a Germanic root meaning "to bind or tie together." Neither is settled, so the fabric's history remains uncertain. The finch-like birds take their name from a different source. Middle English "bunting" is of uncertain origin, but it is probably connected to a lost Middle English adjective meaning "spotted" or "speckled," which is related to Dutch "bont" and German "bunt," both meaning multicoloured. The birds were named for their patterned plumage. The baby-related sense is more recent and more tender. It comes from Scots "buntin," an old term of endearment for plump children dating to the 1660s, which may also explain the nursery rhyme "Bye, baby Bunting" (1731). The sense in baseball, a gentle hit, is a separate development from the same verb family.

Synonyms: flags, banner, streamers, decoration