ossifrage

American

[os-uh-frij] / ˈɒs ə frɪdʒ /

noun

the lammergeier.
Archaic. the osprey.

ossifrage British

/ -ˌfreɪdʒ, ˈɒsɪfrɪdʒ /

noun

an archaic name for lammergeier osprey

"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

Etymology

Origin of ossifrage

1595–1605; < Latin ossifraga sea eagle, literally, bone-breaker (noun use of feminine of ossifragus bone-breaking), equivalent to ossi- (combining form of os ) bone + frag-, variant stem of frangere to break + -a nominative singular feminine noun and adj. ending

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Haunt him and harry, ossifrage and osprey!

From Project Gutenberg

The word is said to be a corruption of Ossifrage, the "bone-breaker."

From Project Gutenberg

Pliny, the extremity of the intestine of the ossifrage, if worn as an amulet, is well known to be an excellent remedy for colic.

From Project Gutenberg

Calcareous lias, slate, and trap are still to be found there, rising from layers of conglomerate, like teeth from a gum; but the pickaxe has broken up and levelled those bristling, rugged peaks which were once the fearful perches of the ossifrage.

From Project Gutenberg

The ossifrage is a species of eagle.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023