bunting

Etymology 1

, in Devon, UK]] Possibly from dialect bunting (“sifting flour”), from Middle English bonten (“to sift”), hence the material used for that purpose. Possibly from Germanic bundt (“to bind or tie together”).

noun

1. Strips of material used as festive decoration, especially in the colours of the national flag.
2. (nautical) A thin cloth of woven wool from which flags are made; it is light enough to spread in a gentle wind but resistant to fraying in a strong wind.
3. Flags considered as a group.

Etymology 2

Wikispecies From Middle English bunting, bountyng, buntynge (also as Middle English buntyle), of uncertain origin. Possibly a reference to speckled plumage, from an unrecorded Middle English *bunt (“spotted, speckled, pied”) akin to Dutch bont, Middle Low German bunt, bont, German bunt (“multi-coloured”) + -ing.

noun

1. Any of various songbirds, mostly of the genus Emberiza, having short bills and brown or gray plumage.

Etymology 3

1922, apparently from Scots buntin (“plump, short and thick (esp. of children)”), itself an old term of endearment for children (1660s); the sense “plump” dates to the 1500s, and may be related to bunt (“belly of a sail”). Possibly related to butt (“(both noun and verb sense: buttocks; strike with head)”) or to bunny (“rabbit”). Compare with the nursery rhyme Bye, baby Bunting (1731), either of same origin or influenced this sense.

noun

1. A warm, hooded infant garment, as outerwear or sleepwear, similar to a sleeper or sleepsack; especially as baby bunting or bunting bag.

Etymology 4

verb

1. present participle and gerund of bunt

noun

1. A pushing action.
2. A strong timber; a stout prop.
3. (obsolete) An old boys' game, played with sticks and a small piece of wood.