falcon
[ fawl-kuh n, fal-, faw-kuh n ]
/ ˈfɔl kən, ˈfæl-, ˈfɔ kən /
noun
any of several birds of prey of the family Falconidae, especially of the genus Falco, usually distinguished by long, pointed wings, a hooked beak with a toothlike notch on each side of the upper bill, and swift, agile flight, typically diving to seize prey: some falcon species are close to extinction.
Falconry.
- the female gyrfalcon.
- falcon-gentle.
- any bird of prey trained for use in falconry.Compare tercel.
a small, light cannon in use from the 15th to the 17th century.
(initial capital letter) Military.
a family of air-to-air guided missiles, some of them capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Origin of falcon
1200–50; Middle English
fauco(u)n, falcon < Anglo-French, Old French
faucon < Late Latin
falcōn- (stem of
falcō) hawk (said to be derivative of
falx, stem
falc- sickle, referring to the sicklelike talons)
OTHER WORDS FROM falcon
fal·co·nine [fawl-kuh-nahyn, -nin, fal-, faw-kuh-] /ˈfɔl kəˌnaɪn, -nɪn, ˈfæl-, ˈfɔ kə-/, adjective fal·co·noid, adjectiveWords nearby falcon
British Dictionary definitions for falconine (1 of 2)
falconine
/ (ˈfɔːlkəˌnaɪn, ˈfɔːkə-) /
adjective
of, relating to, or resembling a falcon
of, relating to, or belonging to the family Falconidae, which includes the falcons
British Dictionary definitions for falconine (2 of 2)
falcon
/ (ˈfɔːlkən, ˈfɔːkən) /
noun
any diurnal bird of prey of the family Falconidae, esp any of the genus Falco (gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, etc), typically having pointed wings and a long tail
- any of these or related birds, trained to hunt small game
- the female of such a birdCompare tercel Related adjective: falconine
a light-medium cannon used from the 15th to 17th centuries
Word Origin for falcon
C13: from Old French
faucon, from Late Latin
falcō hawk, probably of Germanic origin; perhaps related to Latin
falx sickle