vulture

[vuhl-cher]

noun

1. any of several large, primarily carrion-eating Old World birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, often having a naked head and less powerful feet than those of the related hawks and eagles.

2. any of several superficially similar New World birds of the family Cathartidae, as the turkey vulture.

3. a person or thing that preys, especially greedily or unscrupulously.

   That vulture would sell out his best friend.

vulture

/ ˈvʌltʃə /

noun

1. any of various very large diurnal birds of prey of the genera Neophron, Gyps, Gypaetus, etc, of Africa, Asia, and warm parts of Europe, typically having broad wings and soaring flight and feeding on carrion: family Accipitridae (hawks) See also griffon 1 lammergeier

2. any similar bird of the family Cathartidae of North, Central, and South America See also condor turkey buzzard

3. a person or thing that preys greedily and ruthlessly on others, esp the helpless

Other Word Forms

• vulturelike adjective
• vulture-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vulture¹

1325–75; Middle English < Latin vultur

Word History and Origins

Origin of vulture¹

C14: from Old French voltour, from Latin vultur; perhaps related to Latin vellere to pluck, tear

Example Sentences

Bailout money is likely to be invested in “market-moving purchases that push up the value of assets and local currency,” and hedge funds and vulture capitalists “will see a windfall.”

Read more on Salon

Hooded vultures, like other vulture species across Africa and Asia, are critically endangered, with fewer than 150,000 left in the wild.

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"Children with special educational needs deserve the best possible support, and should not be viewed as cash cows for vulture firms," she said.

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And you will learn quite a bit about vultures and their dining habits — not what you might think.

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As someone who was bitterly labelled as a "culture vulture" by a British grime artist in 2019, the Canadian certainly got the opportunity to set the record straight over the weekend.

Read more on BBC