raptor

[ rap-ter, -tawr ]

noun

1. a raptorial bird.
2. Informal. a velociraptor or other small dinosaur with similar characteristics.

raptor

/ ˈræptə /

noun

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

raptor

/ răp′tər /

1. A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl.
2. 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of raptor¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raptour “ravener; plunderer; bird of prey,” from Latin raptor “robber, ravager,” equivalent to rap(ere) “to seize by force, plunder” + -tor agent suffix; rape ¹ -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of raptor¹

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

Example Sentences

After high school, they drove a Chevy out west on dirt roads, catching raptors en route, and published an article about the experience in National Geographic.

From Outside Online

They might be expected to shun company, in typical raptor fashion, yet they bring a corvid’s social nature to their encounters with others.

From Washington Post

The bad news is that nearly all of the established routes are closed from March through August to allow raptors to breed in peace.

From Outside Online

Migrating raptors are all but guaranteed to be soaring over Cadillac Mountain from mid-August to mid-October.

From Outside Online

In the off-season, I’d trained in raptor handling at The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and had learned that hesitation with a defensive raptor doesn’t do anyone any good.

From Popular-Science

The Raptor carries six AMRAAMs and two shorter range AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles inside its weapons bays.

From The Daily Beast

High flying and fast, the F-22 Raptor stealth jet is by far the most lethal fighter America has ever built.

From The Daily Beast

That means it could take several missile shots to kill an enemy fighter, even for an advanced stealth aircraft like the Raptor.

From The Daily Beast

The Fish and Wildlife officer told him that it was illegal to possess a protected species or a raptor.

From The Daily Beast

He was charged with two counts of possessing a raptor and two counts of possessing a protected species.

From The Daily Beast

The latter seemed to regard the owl as the greater enemy, but ordinarily any large raptor arouses their hostility.

From Project Gutenberg

Like its smaller relatives the Sharp-shin and Cooper's Hawks, this powerful raptor is a relentless hunter of birds.

From Project Gutenberg

The shell is polished and exceedingly fragile, a rare thing in the eggs of a raptor.

From Project Gutenberg

The braincase of the skull is crushed in three places as though by a raptor's beak.

From Project Gutenberg

White excreta of a large bird beside the carcass indicated predation by a raptor, probably a horned owl.

From Project Gutenberg