falcon
[fawl-kuh n, fal-, faw-kuh n]
- 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)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for falcon
Contemporary Examples
And that original score that kicks in as a new-age Millennium Falcon swoops into view is sure to get you going.
But the Falcon is not yet Air Force certified for military and intelligence payloads.
They are the Tarpon, the Falcon, the Sea Fox, and the Octopus.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
The big guns—Manning and New England Patriot Tom Brady and Atlanta Falcon Matt Ryan (maybe)—have first-round byes.
For herself, Gu chose the English name Horus L. Kai, after the ancient Egyptian god of war, sun, and sky, symbolized as a falcon.
Historical Examples
I gave it—ay, I gave it to a youth that came to mine aid, and reclaimed a falcon for me!
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
It is possible that in snaring the owl we have caught the falcon.
Micah ClarkeArthur Conan Doyle
The falcon is the falcon of the gods, and the hound is the hound of the gods.
The Chinese Fairy BookVarious
Note: Yang Oerlang is a huntsman, as is indicated by his falcon and hound.
The Chinese Fairy BookVarious
At her side rode her brother, a splendid blaze of finery, falcon on wrist.
The Shame of MotleyRaphael Sabatini
falcon
- 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
C13: from Old French faucon, from Late Latin falcō hawk, probably of Germanic origin; perhaps related to Latin falx sickle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for falcon
n.
mid-13c., from Old French faucon (12c.), from Late Latin falconem (nominative falco) "falcon," probably from Latin falx (genitive falcis) "curved blade, pruning hook, sickle;" the bird said to be so called for the shape of its talons, legs, or beak, but also possibly from the shape of its spread wings.
The other theory is that falx is of Germanic origin and means "gray bird," which is supported by the antiquity of the word in Germanic but opposed by those who point out that falconry by all evidences was imported from the East, and the Germans got it from the Romans, not the other way around.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper