tercel
[ tur-suh l ]
/ ˈtɜr səl /
noun Falconry.
the male of a hawk, especially of a gyrfalcon or peregrine.
Origin of tercel
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French
terçuel < Vulgar Latin
*tertiolus, equivalent to Latin
terti(us) third +
-olus
-ole1; probably so called because the male is about one third smaller than the female
Words nearby tercel
terbium oxide,
terbrugghen,
terbutaline,
terce,
terceira,
tercel,
tercentenary,
tercet,
terebene,
terebic,
terebic acid
Example sentences from the Web for tercel
British Dictionary definitions for tercel
tercel
tiercel
/ (ˈtɜːsəl) /
noun
a male falcon or hawk, esp as used in falconry
Word Origin for tercel
C14: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin
tertiolus (unattested), from Latin
tertius third, referring to the tradition that only one egg in three hatched a male chick