condor

[kon-der, -dawr]

noun

1. either of two large, New World vultures of the family Cathartidae, Gymnogyps californianus California condor or Vultur gryphus Andean condor, the largest flying birds in the Western Hemisphere: the California condor is almost extinct; the Andean condor is greatly reduced in number and rare in many areas.

2. a former coin of Chile equal to 10 pesos.

3. a former coin of Ecuador equal to 10 sucres.

condor

/ ˈkɒndɔː /

noun

1. either of two very large rare New World vultures, Vultur gryphus ( Andean condor ), which has black plumage with white around the neck, and Gymnogyps californianus ( California condor ), which is similar but nearly extinct

Word History and Origins

Origin of condor¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from South American Spanish, from Quechua kuntur

Word History and Origins

Origin of condor¹

C17: from Spanish cóndor, from Quechuan kuntur

Example Sentences

The walls of the restaurant are crowded full of condor images and artifacts — “like you’re having dinner in your favorite natural history museum,” McBride said.

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The Los Angeles Zoo announced this week that 10 healthy condors were hatched, making them eligible to be released in the wild to help replenish the state’s depleted condor population.

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This week, the focus is on 10 condor chicks that were hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo, making them eligible to be released into the wild to help restore the state’s depleted condor population.

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The act has been credited with saving 99% of the species it protects from extinction, including bald eagles, California condors and Mexican gray wolves.

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True to his name, the young condor was always willing to share his food and often spotted grooming and huddling together with other birds in his flock, Williams-Claussen said in the statement.

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