Embroilers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of chicken specifically raised for meat production, typically characterized by their rapid growth and broad body
2. Referring to poultry that is bred and fed for maximum flesh yield, often found in commercial farming
3. Describing birds that are raised primarily for consumption rather than for egg-laying or other purposes

Etymology: "Embroilers" is not a name for a meat chicken. It is the plural of "embroiler," a person who draws others into a quarrel or tangled dispute. The meat bird you may be thinking of is the "broiler," a different word with a different origin. "Embroil" entered English in the 1600s from French "embrouiller," built from "en-" (in) and "brouiller," to muddle or mix up. The French verb is likely linked to an older sense of stirring things into confusion, the image of a tangle or a murky mess. Its literal sense was something like "to entangle in a mess," and the sense of pulling people into conflict developed from that picture of confusion. The meat bird's name comes from "broil," to cook over direct heat, which goes back to Old French "bruler," to burn. The two words look alike but do not share an origin, so the resemblance is coincidence.