osprey

[os-pree]

noun, plural os·preys.

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

a plume for trimming hats.

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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of osprey

What was that she was sayin' about the spiders attackin' the Osprey?
Loot of the Void
Edwin K. Sloat
Like the osprey it takes refuge in darkness, and it would die if once seen.
Napoleon the Little
Victor Hugo
It represented an osprey tugging a fish from some sea rocks.
Practical Taxidermy
Montagu Browne
Then Pirate got his instructions, and the Osprey went on her homeward way.
Viking Boys
Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby
It might be a whole week; and I need the Harrison boys and the Osprey, of course.
Viking Boys
Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby

British Dictionary definitions for osprey

osprey

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

Word Origin and History for osprey

fishing hawk, mid-15c., from Anglo-French ospriet, from Medieval Latin avis prede "bird of prey," from Latin avis praedæ, a generic term apparently confused with this specific bird in Old French on its similarity to ossifrage.