noun
chanticleer
chan-tuh-KLEER/ˌtʃæntəˈklɪr/
A rooster, in literary or playfully grand language.
The poet's chanticleer greets the sunrise with a loud crow from the fence.
Etymology
Literally ‘sing-loud’ or ‘sing-clear,’ this was the rooster’s name in medieval Reynard the Fox stories. The character’s descriptive name became a literary or fanciful word for a rooster.
More examples
- Our proud chanticleer wakes the whole household.
- The story calls its rooster Chanticleer.
- A painted chanticleer stands above the farmhouse door.
Forms
chanticleer · chanticleers
Similar words
- rooster
- Rooster is ordinary language; chanticleer is literary or playfully elevated.