What does gizzard mean?
A gizzard is the muscular part of a bird's stomach that processes food, especially by grinding it with swallowed stones or grit. Because birds generally do not chew their food in the way mammals do, the gizzard acts as a mechanical mill, helping break seeds, insects, and other hard or fibrous material into a digestible form. The word also has an informal figurative meaning: to have the gizzard is to have courage, determination, or the willingness to face something difficult. Expressions such as "having the gizzard to try again" sound natural and direct, while "he has the gizzard for that task" uses the word in a more conversational or humorous way. In everyday use, gizzard is especially associated with chickens, turkeys, and other birds, but the anatomical term applies more broadly across avian species. Its unusual combination of a technical digestive sense and a familiar figurative sense makes it a vivid word in both descriptive writing and informal speech.
nounA muscular chamber in a bird's digestive system that grinds food, often with the help of swallowed stones or grit. Figuratively, the word means courage or fortitude.
- The muscular, pouch-like part of a bird's stomach that grinds food.
- In figurative use, courage or fortitude, especially in the expression 'have the gizzard'.
"The eagle swallowed a small stone, which helped its gizzard grind the food."
"The bird's gizzard contains small stones that help grind seeds and other hard food."
"It takes a certain amount of gizzard to admit that the plan has failed."
The usual plural form is gizzards, used when referring to multiple birds or to the organs collectively.
"The gizzards of grain-eating birds often contain coarse grit."
A bird's gizzard does the work of chewing: it grinds food with swallowed stones, turning digestion into a tiny mechanical mill.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gizzard come from?
The English word entered through French, based on Old French gésier, meaning a stomach. This developed from Latin gaster, a learned form ultimately borrowed from Greek gaster, meaning belly or stomach. The modern English form gizzard developed through alterations to the French and older English forms, while the word's figurative sense for courage arose later from the traditional association of a gizzard with toughness and fortitude.
Related word forms
How gizzard is actually used
As a digestive organ, gizzard is a precise anatomical term and is most often used about birds. Its figurative sense, meaning courage or nerve, is informal and especially common in British and North American English.
Easily confused with gizzard
A gizzard is a bird's grinding stomach, whereas a lizard is a reptile with four legs and a long tail.