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definitions

harrier

1
[ har-ee-er ]
/ ˈhær i ər /
|
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noun

a person who or thing that harries.
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.
(initial capital letter) Military. 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.

RELATED WORDS

oppressor, rascal, racer, sprinter, marathoner, pollute, defile, overwhelm, beset, assail, flock, worry, fill, crowd, pester, ravage, swarm, invade, teem, infect

Nearby words

  1. harquebus,
  2. harquebusier,
  3. harrar,
  4. harrer,
  5. harridan,
  6. harriet,
  7. harrietta,
  8. harriman,
  9. harriman, edward henry,
  10. harriman, william averell

Origin of harrier

1
First recorded in 1550–60; harry + -er1

harrier

2
[ har-ee-er ]
/ ˈhær i ər /

noun

one of a breed of medium-sized hounds, used, usually in packs, in hunting.
a cross-country runner.

Origin of harrier

2
1535–45; special use of harrier1, by association with hare
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for harrier

British Dictionary definitions for harrier

harrier

1
/ (ˈhærɪə) /

noun

a person or thing that harries
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

noun

a smallish breed of hound used originally for hare-hunting
a cross-country runner

Word Origin for harrier

C16: from hare + -er 1; influenced by harrier 1

Harrier

/ (ˈhærɪə) /

noun

a British subsonic multipurpose military jet plane capable of vertical takeoff and landing by means of vectoring the engine thrust
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
Word Origin and History for harrier

harrier

n.

1540s, from Middle English hayrer "small hunting dog" (c.1400), possibly from Middle French errier "wanderer" [Barnhart], or associated with hare, which they would have hunted. The hawk genus (1550s) is from harry (v.), which also is a candidate for the source of the dog name.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper