Random Sequence: chanticleer

"We will endeavor to describe a village wedding in Sweden. It shall be summertime, that there may be flowers; and in a southern province, that the bride may be fair. The early song of the lark and chanticleer are mingling in the clear morning air, and the sun, the heavenly bridegroom with yellow hair, arises in the south."
--"Village Wedding in Sweden", anonymous, in Godey's Lady Book and Magazine, May 1864

(I found a bound copy of several issues of Godey's in my basement and have been flipping through the dusty pages.)

chanticleer [SHON-toh-clear] = a rooster, though when capitalized, it can also refer to a male vocal ensemble. The word apparently comes from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, where the rooster Chanticleer is described thus:

"For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold."

What a stud!