osprey

[ os-pree ]

/ ˈɒs pri /

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noun, plural os·preys.

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

a plume for trimming hats.

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Origin of osprey

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

Words nearby osprey

OSO, Osorno, OSP, osphresis, osphretic, osprey, OSRD, OSS, ossa, ossature, ossein

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use osprey in a sentence

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
Major Gruber was a helicopter pilot before he started training to fly the V-22 Osprey in 1997.
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
Nor, in the rising flood of our affairs, Fish like an osprey for this eagle longer.But, soft!
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886|Ministry of Education
I could only see the top of her head, but the hat was a very smart one, with a beautiful osprey in it.
Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels|Mrs. Charles Bryce
Thus, the osprey, which feeds almost exclusively on fish, is merely a winter visitor to India.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
Of the migratory birds of prey the kestrel is perhaps the first to arrive; the osprey and the peregrine falcon are among the last.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
The osprey had already risen to a considerable height with his fish, and had started to fly off with it over the woods.
Jack the Young Canoeman|George Bird Grinnell

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