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raptor

[ rap-ter, -tawr ]
/ ˈræp tər, -tɔr /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR raptor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a raptorial bird.

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Origin of raptor

1600–10; <Latin raptor one who seizes by force, robber, equivalent to rap(ere) (see rape1) + -tor-tor

Words nearby raptor

rapscallion, rap session, rap sheet, rap someone's knuckles, rapt, raptor, raptorial, rapture, raptured, rapture of the deep, rapturous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to raptor

predator, beast of prey

Example sentences from the Web for raptor

British Dictionary definitions for raptor

raptor
/ (ˈræptə) /

noun

another name for bird of prey
informal a carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period

Word Origin for raptor

C17: from Latin: plunderer, from rapere to take by force
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

Scientific definitions for raptor

raptor
[ răp′tər ]

A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl.
Any of various mostly small, slender, carnivorous dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period. Raptors had hind legs that were adapted for leaping and large, curved claws used for grasping and tearing at prey. Raptors were probably related to birds, and some even had feathers.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.