raptor
[rap-ter, -tawr]
- a raptorial bird.
Show More
Origin of raptor
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for raptor
Contemporary Examples
The Raptor carries six AMRAAMs and two shorter range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles inside its weapons bays.
That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor.
The Fish and Wildlife officer told him that it was illegal to possess a protected species or a raptor.
He was charged with two counts of possessing a raptor and two counts of possessing a protected species.
In fact, some future Raptor upgrades could include primes other than Lockheed leading the effort.
Historical Examples
The braincase of the skull is crushed in three places as though by a raptor's beak.
American WeaselsE. Raymond Hall
White excreta of a large bird beside the carcass indicated predation by a raptor, probably a horned owl.
The wigeon realises his advantage and sticks to the shallow—the raptor ever trying to force him to the deep.
Unexplored SpainAbel Chapman
The shell is polished and exceedingly fragile, a rare thing in the eggs of a raptor.
Argentine Ornithology, Volume II (of 2)P. L. Sclater
raptor
- another name for bird of prey
- informal a carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period
Show More
Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for raptor
n.
c.1600, "ravisher, abductor," from Latin raptor "a robber, plunderer, abductor, ravisher," agent noun from past participle stem of rapere "to seize" (see rapid). Ornithological use is from 1873 (1823 in Latin plural Raptores).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.