falcon

[fawl-kuhn, fal-, faw-kuhn]

noun

1. 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.

2. Falconry.

   1. the female gyrfalcon.

   2. falcon-gentle.

   3. any bird of prey trained for use in falconry.

3. a small, light cannon in use from the 15th to the 17th century.

4. Military.,  Falcon, a family of air-to-air guided missiles, some of them capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

falcon

/ ˈfɔːkən, ˈfɔːlkən /

noun

1. 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

2. 1. any of these or related birds, trained to hunt small game

   2. the female of such a bird Compare tercel

3. a light-medium cannon used from the 15th to 17th centuries

Other Word Forms

• falconine adjective
• falconoid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of falcon¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English fauco(u)n, falcon, from Anglo-French, Old French faucon, from Late Latin falcōn- (stem of falcō ) “hawk” (said to be derivative of falx, stem falc- “sickle,” referring to the sicklelike talons)

Word History and Origins

Origin of falcon¹

C13: from Old French faucon , from Late Latin falcō hawk, probably of Germanic origin; perhaps related to Latin falx sickle

Example Sentences

But tempus fugit, as the chiming of the library clock made clear, and since Edward Ashton had left, the time had flown faster than a keen-eyed peregrine falcon swooping earthward for its prey.

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Or the peregrine falcons, with their bladelike talons and darting eyes that could spot a tasty field mouse on the ground from hundreds of feet in the air?

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The gyr falcon, also known as Arizona, was found at the side of the road opposite the layby at Winnards Perch, Cornwall, on Saturday.

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The falcons also have their own Facebook fan page with more than 50,000 members.

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The New Zealand falcon has been crowned the winner of the country's annual Bird of the Year competition, taking 21% of the valid votes.

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