harrier

¹ American  

[har-ee-er] / ˈhær i ər /

noun

1. a person who or thing that harries.

2. any of several short-winged hawks of the genus Circus that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on reptiles and small birds and mammals.

3. Military. Harrier, a one- or two-seat British-American fighter, both an attack and a reconnaissance aircraft, featuring a turbofan engine with a directable thrust that enables it to land and take off vertically.

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harrier ² American  

[har-ee-er] / ˈhær i ər /

noun

1. one of a breed of medium-sized hounds, used, usually in packs, in hunting.

2. a cross-country runner.

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harrier ¹ British  

/ ˈhærɪə /

noun

1. a person or thing that harries

2. any diurnal bird of prey of the genus Circus, having broad wings and long legs and tail and typically preying on small terrestrial animals: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc) See also marsh harrier Montagu's harrier

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harrier ² British  

/ ˈhærɪə /

noun

1. a smallish breed of hound used originally for hare-hunting

2. a cross-country runner

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Harrier ³ British  

/ ˈhærɪə /

noun

1. a British subsonic multipurpose military jet plane capable of vertical takeoff and landing by means of vectoring the engine thrust

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Etymology

Origin of harrier¹

First recorded in 1550–60; harry + -er ¹

Origin of harrier²

1535–45; special use of harrier ¹, by association with hare

Example Sentences

The bog is an important site for biodiversity and is home to the endangered hen harrier.

From BBC

Aside from curlew, they pose a threat to a number of native species including the Orkney vole, short-eared owl and hen harrier.

From BBC

They include endangered birds like hen harriers and water voles, which are now the UK's fastest declining mammal.

From BBC

More than 1,300 protected birds of prey – from hen harriers to golden eagles - have been killed across the UK over the past 15 years, according to the RSPB.

From BBC

The findings bolster the idea that humans evolved to be hunting harriers, says Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University.

From Science Magazine

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