Forms: 1 feldeware, 4–7 feld(o)fare, (4 feldyfare, feldifer, 5–7 fel(e)fare, 6 feldifair, 7 felfar, feldefer, veldefare, 8 feldifire, 9 fell-fare, dial. felverd), 7– fieldfare. [ME. feldefare (4 syll. in Chaucer):—? OE. *feldefare (miswritten feldewar, only once occurring). Of obscure formation; app. it means ‘field-goer,’ f. feld FIELD + far- (see FARE v.); but the presence of the middle syllable is not accounted for, and this, with the divergent spelling in the OE. gloss, suggests possibility of corruption from popular etymology.
Not related to OE. feala-, feolnfor, of unknown origin, in glosses rendering onocrotalus (pelican), porphyrio (some water-bird), and torax (of unknown meaning). This must have been the name of some large bird.]
A species of Thrush (Turdus pilaris), well known as a regular and common autumnal visitor throughout the British Islands.
a. 1100. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 287. Scorellus, clodhamer and feldeware.
c. 1325. Gloss., in Rel. Ant., II. 78. The feldefare, la greue.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 183. Wiþ fesauns & feldfares · and oþer foules grete.
c. 1381. Chaucer, Parl. Foules, 363.
| The raven wys; the crowe, with vois of care; | |
| The thurstil old; the frosty feldefare. |
c. 1450. Holland, Howlat, 228. The Feldifer in the forest.
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. 25 a. At the tyme of yeare the feldefares fede only of Iuniper berries the people Eate the feldefares undrawen.
1634. T. Johnson, Parey’s Chirurg., XXV. xxii. (1678), 621. It [Touca] feed’s on pepper, as the black-birds felfares with us do upon Ivie-berries, which are not less hot then pepper.
a. 1670. Hacket, Abp. Williams, I. (1692), 82. Such long Wing’d Hawks were not to be cast off, to fly after Field-Fares.
1694. Acct. Sweden, 7. There are taken in Winter great Numbers of small Birds, as Thrushes, Blackbirds, and Sydensewans; the last of the Bigness of Veldefares, but better meat, supposed to come from Lapland, or yet farther North; and have their Name from the Beautifulness of their Feathers, some of which are tipt at the Point with Scarlet.
1785. Cowper, The Needless Alarm, 19.
| Not yet the hawthorn bore her berries red, | |
| With which the fieldfare, wintry guest, is fed. |
1810. Scott, Lady of L., III. v.
| A feeble and a timorous guest, | |
| The field-fare framed her lowly nest. |
1852. M. Arnold, Poems, Tristram & Iseult.
| In the smooth centre of the opening stood | |
| Three hollies side by side, and made a screen | |
| Warm with the winter sun, of burnish’d green, | |
| With scarlet berries gemm’d, the fell-fare’s food. |
attrib. 1681. Chetham, Angler’s Vade-m., xxxv. § 3 (1689), 227. Wings of the Feather of a Felfare Quill got out of the Wing.
b. Proverb. (See FAREWELL int. 2 b.)
c. 1374, c. 1400. [see FAREWELL].
1560. Rolland, The Court of Venus, IV. 718.
| (Quod scho) that is past, gude nicht now feldifair | |
| Fair on fond fuill, thow gettis heir no fauour. |
