Turacos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Brightly colored tropical African birds of the family Musophagidae, known for their crests and vivid green or red feathers
2. Vividly plumed fruit-eating birds native to the forests of sub-Saharan Africa, with distinctive crests and striking coloration
3. Colorful arboreal birds from Africa that feed on fruit and are recognized by their erect crests and bright green and crimson wings

Etymology: "Turacos" is the plural of "turaco", a bird name borrowed from French. The French "touraco" is the form the English word follows, and the source offers nothing further on its route into English, so the specific date and original source of the borrowing are best left unstated here. The word names a group of brightly coloured birds of Africa, many with the erect crests and green and crimson wings the definition describes. Because the English form is a plain borrowing of the French, its spelling and sound stay close to the French original. A reader who knows French will recognise the shape at once, even if the bird itself is far more familiar from African forests than from Paris.