rough-leggedadj.
/ˌrʌfˈlɛɡ(ᵻ)d/, U.S. /ˌrəfˈlɛɡ(ə)d/ Having feathered or hairy legs or feet; spec. (of a bird) having the tarsi feathered. Cf. rough-footed adj. 1.
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the world > animals > birds > parts of or bird defined by > [adjective] > of legs > feathered
rough-legged1575
booted1781
stockinged1855
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > body and limbs > [adjective] > relating to limbs > having hairy or feathered legs
rough-legged1575
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 16 The Vultures haue this one poynt speciall, and peculiar to them selues, in that they are rough legged, a thing that hapneth not to any other kynd of Eagles or byrdes of praye.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Coq de bois, a blacke, and rough-legd Moore~cocke.
1691 London Gaz. No. 2647/4 A chesnut Gelding.., rough Legg'd, having all his Paces.
1776 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (ed. 4, quarto) II. App. 623 Rough Leg'd Falcon. This species is a native of Denmark.
?1830 P. Sellar Netherby, Cumberland 57, in Farm-rep. The farm horses in greatest repute in this district are the rough-legged Clydesdale or Lanarkshire breed.
1864 Let. 5 Sept. in Amer. Naturalist (1869) 3 518 The Rough-legged Falcon and the Black Hawk are the same.
1896 R. Lydekker Brit. Mammals 42 The rough-legged bat, Vespertilio dasycneme.
1920 F. S. Allen Allen's Synonyms & Antonyms 178/2 Feather-footed, referring to a dog: rough-footed, rough-legged.
1990 C. G. Sibley & B. L. Monroe Distrib. & Taxon. of Birds of World 338/2 Phyllomyia [burmeisteri] burmeisteri... Rough-legged Tyrannulet. Forest edge, open woodland.
Compounds
rough-legged buzzard n. a medium-large migratory bird of prey, Buteo lagopus, which has feathered legs and feet and breeds in subarctic and arctic areas of both Eurasia and North America.
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1827 Trans. Cambr. Philos. Soc. 2 289 F[alco] Lagopus... Rough-legged Buzzard.—A specimen of this bird, shot in the vicinity of Cambridge, is in the collection of Dr. Thackeray.
1879 Sc. Naturalist 5 58 The Rough-legged Buzzard was always a regular visitant in the Highlands, frequenting for the most part the open moors.
1999 Birdwatch Apr. 56/3 Five Rough-legged Buzzards were in Norfolk all month.
rough-legged hawk n. North American = rough-legged buzzard n.
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1811 A. Wilson Amer. Ornithol. IV. 60 The Rough-legged Hawk measures twenty-two inches in length.
1872 E. Coues Birds of Northwest 365 The contrast between the physique of Rough-legged Hawks and their venatorial exploits, is striking.
1992 Up Here (Yellowknife, N.W. Territories) Dec. (Insert between pp. 24–25) (advt.) Bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and rough-legged hawks nest on the sheer faces of the cliffs.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1575