barn owl

noun

a yellowish-brown and white owl, Tyto alba, often inhabiting barns and other buildings.

Nearby words

barmen, barmy, barn, barn dance, barn door, barn owl, barn raising, barn swallow, barn-door skate, barnabas, barnaby

Origin of barn owl

First recorded in 1665–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barn owl

Of this the barn-owl is perfectly aware, and at evening he may be seen sweeping low over the meadows seeking whom he may devour.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson
He had heard the boy give it, and now he cautiously repeated, three times, the softly quavering call of the barn-owl.
When 'Bear Cat' Went Dry|Charles Neville Buck
Like the species last described—the Barn-Owl—it has an exceedingly wide range.
Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2)|P. L. Sclater
The barn-owl is the "screech" owl of bird literature; the brown owl the true hooting owl.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

British Dictionary definitions for barn owl

barn owl

noun

any owl of the genus Tyto, esp T. alba, having a pale brown and white plumage, long slender legs, and a heart-shaped face: family Tytonidae

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012