Leghorn

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈlɛɡhɔːn/

Definitions

1. A domesticated chicken breed known for its exceptional egg-laying capabilities and agility in diverse environments
2. A domesticated breed of poultry famous for its prolific egg production and light build, also associated with a region in Italy famous for chickens
3. A type of domestic chicken bred especially for high numbers of eggs and a light, active body

Etymology: The Leghorn chicken is named after a port city, though not the one most people would guess from the bird's name alone. "Leghorn" is the English name for Livorno, a seaport on the Tuscan coast of Italy, and in the mid-1700s English speakers adopted the name because fowls and straw plaited into hats were shipped out of that harbour. The bird arrived in English as a trade label: a chicken sold through Livorno became, in buyers' minds, a Leghorn. The name therefore records a commercial route rather than any origin of the breed itself. Goods were identified by the port that exported them, much as Panama hats are named for a place they were not made. The same logic gave English several other port-derived names for imported goods, though the chicken's name stuck to the bird long after the straw trade faded.