osprey

[ os-pree ]

/ ˈɒs pri /

noun, plural os·preys.

Also called fish hawk. a large hawk, Pandion haliaetus, that feeds on fish.

a plume for trimming hats.

Nearby words

oso, osorno, osp, osphresis, osphretic, osprey, osrd, oss, ossa, ossature, ossein

Origin of osprey

1425–75; late Middle English ospray(e) ≪ Latin ossifraga ossifrage; compare Middle French orfraie, offraie, Old French ospres

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for osprey

The most recent Osprey crash occurred April 11 during an annual exercise in Morocco, killing two Marines.
When the Tragedy of Two Marines Killed In a Crash Becomes a Nightmare|Miranda Green|May 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In that same year a devastating audio recording surfaced of the commanding officer of the Osprey squadron.
When the Tragedy of Two Marines Killed In a Crash Becomes a Nightmare|Miranda Green|May 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
However, the Osprey continues today with a less-than-perfect record.
When the Tragedy of Two Marines Killed In a Crash Becomes a Nightmare|Miranda Green|May 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
According to an NPR report, American Marines, using an Osprey aircraft, recovered one of the airmen.
U.S. Plane Crash in Libya: Exclusive New Details|Babak Dehghanpisheh|March 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The Osprey yet sat motionless on the water, and her bare masts gave no sign of making sail.
For the Term of His Natural Life|Marcus Clarke
As the Osprey rose and fell with the waves, the rope became chafed on sharp edges of rock, and parted.
Viking Boys|Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby
It grew larger, and became an osprey on its way to the sea in search of a fish.
The Golf Course Mystery|Chester K. Steele
The Osprey is the only resident member of the order Falconiformes, and it is principally a fish eater.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3|Rollin H. Baker
Then the eagle seizes it, often before it reaches the ground, and flies off, while the osprey goes back to his fishing.
The Children's Book of Birds|Olive Thorne Miller

British Dictionary definitions for osprey

osprey

/ (ˈɒsprɪ, -preɪ) /

noun

a large broad-winged fish-eating diurnal bird of prey, Pandion haliaetus, with a dark back and whitish head and underparts: family PandioridaeOften called (US and Canadian): fish hawk

any of the feathers of various other birds, used esp as trimming for hats

Word Origin for osprey

C15: from Old French ospres, apparently from Latin ossifraga, literally: bone-breaker, from os bone + frangere to break

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