popinjay

/ˈpɒpɪnd͡ʒeɪ/

Etymology

From Middle English popinjay, popyngeay, popingay, popejay, from Anglo-Norman papegai, papejoie et al., (northern) Old French papejai (“parrot”), probably from Old Occitan papagay (compare Occitan papagai, Catalan papagai), ultimately from Arabic بَبْغَاء (babḡāʔ, “parrot”), of imitative origin.

popinjay means A parrot. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why this word is great

POPINJAY — [Noun] A vain, gaudy, and talkative person, defined by strutting ostentation and empty mimicry. From Middle English popinjay, from Anglo-Norman papegai and Old French papejai ("parrot"), from Old Occitan papagay, from Arabic بَبْغَاء (babḡāʔ, "parrot"), of imitative origin. Unlike a dandy, whose sin is a meticulous, artistic devotion to tailoring, or a coxcomb, whose hallmark is a profound and laughable foolishness, the popinjay is a creature of raucous, borrowed plumage and mindless, repetitive chatter. He is the politician rehearsing another's bon mot in a mirror, the iridescent waistcoat holding forth in the coffee-house, the meticulously plumed hat bobbing above a crowd—all bright surface and borrowed sound, a living testament to the profound human fear of being unremarked upon.

noun

A parrot.“[I]nnumerable popingayes of ſundry kindes are found chattering in the groues of thoſe fenny places.”
A decorative image of a parrot on a tapestry, cloth etc.
A vain, gaudy person; someone who is shallow or superficial.“The very quintessence of popinjay vulgarity is reached when nicely is made to do service for well, in this wise: "How do you do?" "Nicely." "How are you?" "Nicely."”
A target to shoot at, typically stuffed with feathers or plumage.
The green woodpecker, Picus viridis.