raptor

[rap-ter, -tawr]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR raptor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a raptorial bird.

Origin of raptor

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

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

Related Words for raptor

predator

Examples from the Web for raptor

Contemporary Examples of raptor

The Raptor carries six AMRAAMs and two shorter range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles inside its weapons bays.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets
Dave Majumdar
December 4, 2014
That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets
Dave Majumdar
December 4, 2014
The Fish and Wildlife officer told him that it was illegal to possess a protected species or a raptor.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles
Michael Daly
November 2, 2014
He was charged with two counts of possessing a raptor and two counts of possessing a protected species.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles
Michael Daly
November 2, 2014
In fact, some future Raptor upgrades could include primes other than Lockheed leading the effort.
America’s Advanced Stealth Jet Flies on 1990s Tech
Dave Majumdar
October 1, 2014

Historical Examples of raptor

The braincase of the skull is crushed in three places as though by a raptor's beak.
American Weasels
E. Raymond Hall
White excreta of a large bird beside the carcass indicated predation by a raptor, probably a horned owl.
Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas
Henry S. Fitch
The wigeon realises his advantage and sticks to the shallow—the raptor ever trying to force him to the deep.
Unexplored Spain
Abel 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

British Dictionary definitions for raptor

raptor

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

Word Origin and History for raptor

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).

raptor in Science

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.