owl

[oul]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR owl ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of numerous, chiefly nocturnal birds of prey, of the order Strigiformes, having a broad head with large, forward-directed eyes that are usually surrounded by disks of modified feathers: many populations are diminishing owing to loss of habitat.

one of a breed of domestic pigeons having an owllike appearance.

night owl.

a person of owllike solemnity or appearance.

adjective

operating late at night or all night: an owl train.

Origin of owl

before 900; Middle English oule, Old English ūle; cognate with Low German ūle, Dutch uil; akin to German Eule, Old Norse ugla

Related formsowl·like, adjective

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

Related Words for owl

burglar, sniper, pickpocket, bandit, crook, swindler, criminal, pirate, robber, mugger, thief, prowler, clip, cheat, hijacker, punk, plunderer, kleptomaniac, pilferer, larcenist

Examples from the Web for owl

Contemporary Examples of owl

This video remedies that injustice, showcasing an owl doing a butterfly stroke in Lake Michigan.
Swimming Owls, Jane Krakowski’s Peter Pan Live! Audition, and More Viral Videos
The Daily Beast Video
December 7, 2014
Fernandez-Duque discovered that owl monkeys are the only reliably monogamous mammal species.
P.J. on the Owl-Monkey Project and the Science of Chick Flicks
P. J. O’Rourke
April 6, 2014
Owl monkey offspring get an inordinate amount of care from their fathers.
P.J. on the Owl-Monkey Project and the Science of Chick Flicks
P. J. O’Rourke
April 6, 2014
Heads the Owl Monkey Project, which has been studying owl monkeys in Argentina for 18 years.
P.J. on the Owl-Monkey Project and the Science of Chick Flicks
P. J. O’Rourke
April 6, 2014
Keeping the hours of an owl, he does most of the location scouting and exploration.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners
Nina Strochlic
December 16, 2013

Historical Examples of owl

And he winked and blinked at stout Friar Tuck like an owl at the sun.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
This, with coffee, followed a good supper of boiled partridge and owl.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
It is possible that in snaring the owl we have caught the falcon.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
You ought to be dozing half the day—and instead you're as wide awake as an owl.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Then the rat went away, and the owl did as the rat had instructed him.
Aino Folk-Tales
Basil Hall Chamberlain

British Dictionary definitions for owl

owl

noun

any nocturnal bird of prey of the order Strigiformes, having large front-facing eyes, a small hooked bill, soft feathers, and a short neck

any of various breeds of owl-like fancy domestic pigeon (esp the African owl, Chinese owl, and English owl)

a person who looks or behaves like an owl, esp in having a solemn manner

Derived Formsowl-like, adjective

Word Origin for owl

Old English ūle; related to Dutch uil, Old High German ūwila, Old Norse ugla

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 owl

Old English ule "owl," from Proto-Germanic *uwwalon- (cf. Middle Dutch, Dutch uil, Old High German uwila, German Eule, Old Norse ugla), a diminutive of PIE root *u(wa)l-, which is imitative of a wail or an owl's hoot (cf. Latin ulula "owl;" cf. also ululation). The bird was employed proverbially and figuratively in reference to nocturnal habits, ugliness, and appearance of gravity and wisdom (often ironic).

Idioms and Phrases with owl

owl

see night owl.