falcon

American  

[fawl-kuhn, fal-, faw-kuhn] / ˈfɔl kən, ˈfæl-, ˈfɔ kən /

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.

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falcon British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• falconine adjective
• falconoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of falcon

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)

Example Sentences

One man shares images with his face showing, wearing a thobe and headdress while holding a falcon on his arm, with other photos at the gym and pool.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Other wall-mounted falcon sculptures in wood, bronze and glass suggest sconces, trophies and Greco-Roman urns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

At the Houses of Parliament, he holds a peregrine falcon chick while it is ringed for identification.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

A favourite moment was in 2021 when the livestream captured a falcon being startled off the nest by an earthquake.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

I tucked her in my sweater and leaned against the cliff, facing the bulletlike dive of the falcon.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George