hawking

¹

[ haw-king ]

noun

1. the sport of hunting with hawks or other birds of prey; falconry.

Hawking

²

[ haw-king ]

noun

1. Stephen William, 1942–2018, English mathematician and theoretical physicist.

Hawking

¹

/ ˈhɔːkɪŋ /

noun

1. HawkingStephen William1942MBritishSCIENCE: physicistWRITING: science writer Stephen William. Born 1942, British physicist. Stricken with a progressive nervous disease since the 1960s, he has nevertheless been a leader in cosmological theory. His publications intended for a wide audience include A Brief History of Time (1987) and The Grand Design (2010)

ˈhawking

²

/ ˈhɔːkɪŋ /

noun

1. another name for falconry

Hawking

/ hô′kĭng /

1. British physicist noted for his study of black holes and the origin of the universe, especially the big bang theory. His work has provided much of the mathematical basis for scientific explanations of the physical properties of black holes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hawking¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; hawk ¹, -ing ¹

Biography

The world-renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking needs little introduction to those familiar with the bespectacled man who uses a wheelchair and lectures around the world with the aid of a computerized speech synthesizer. The condition that has left him all but totally paralyzed, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is usually fatal within a few years; but Hawking has beaten the odds by living with the disease for all his adult life, since its onset when he was a 20-year-old college student. Hawking's story is a testament to a determined person's ability to overcome unexpected adversity—his career in fact did not take off until after the disease had been diagnosed. Hawking partly credits the disease for giving him a sense of purpose and the ability to enjoy life. His academic position at Oxford is a chaired professorship in mathematics that was also held by Isaac Newton, in 1669. He originally set out to study mathematics, but it is for his discoveries in physics that he is best known. With his collaborator Roger Penrose, he theorized that Einstein's Theory of General Relativity predicts that space and time have a definite origin and conclusion, providing mathematical support for the Big Bang theory. This led to further attempts to unify General Relativity with quantum theory, one consequence of which is the intriguing view that black holes are not entirely “black,” as originally thought, but emit radiation and should eventually evaporate and disappear.

Example Sentences

In terms of Hawking’s original calculations, so far so good.

From Quanta Magazine

First, the sudden shift signaled the onset of new physics not covered by Hawking’s calculation.

From Quanta Magazine

“It was Stephen Hawking and five other Nobel laureates,” Krauss recalled.

From The Daily Beast

Hawking, of course, came to global fame with his book A Brief History of Time.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps, like Hawking searching for his elegant equation, filmmakers will never find the answer.

From The Daily Beast

This was in 1964, and Hawking is now 72, and still rattling the cosmos.

From The Daily Beast

Of the three films, the most English by far is the Hawking story.

From The Daily Beast

For those who preferred hawking choice falcons had been brought from Holland.

From Project Gutenberg

One almost expects to see some baronial hawking party, or some bridal procession issue from its recesses.

From Project Gutenberg

A fortnight before the first swallow the large bats were hawking up and down the road in the evenings.

From Project Gutenberg

The chief pleasures were those of the chase,--hunting and hawking,--and intemperate feasts.

From Project Gutenberg

But Perry was fond of hawks, and much regretted that the days were gone by when hawking was a favourite pastime.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• angling
• fishery
• fishing
• shooting