Forms: 5 caffynche, chaffynche, 6 cafinche, chofinch, 7 chawfinch, chaffe-finch, (8 chaffinge, 9 dial. chaffy), 6– chaffinch. [f. CHAFF sb.1 + FINCH; as the species of finch that haunts the barn-door and homestead, where it may be seen picking grains of corn out of the chaff and barn-sweepings: cf. the late L. name furfurio (in Isidore), f. furfur bran.]
A very common British bird, fringilla cælebs, with pretty plumage and pleasant short song.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 68. Caffynche, byrde, furfurio.
1570. Levins, Manip., 134. A cafinche, bird, frugella.
1580. Baret, Alv., C 288. A Chaffinch, a birde singing in colde weather: a spinke, frigilla.
1661. Morgan, Sph. Gentry, III. v. 50. The Chawfinch.
1678. Phillips, Chaffinch … so called because it delighteth in Chaff.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 14, ¶ 13. The Sparrows and Chaffinches at the Hay-Market fly is yet very irregularly.
a. 1793. G. White, Selborne, xii. (1853), 55. Vast flocks of chaffinches have appeared in the fields.
1845. Darwin, Voy. Nat., xvii. (1852), 379. Beaks … from one as large as that of a hawfinch to that of a chaffinch.
