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sparrow hawk

noun
  1. a small, short-winged European hawk, Accipiter nisus, that preys on smaller birds.
  2. American kestrel.
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Origin of sparrow hawk

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sparrow hawk

Historical Examples of sparrow hawk

  • And with his bundle of belongings on his shoulder, he hurried off to where the Sparrow-hawk lay.

    Chatterbox, 1905.

    Various

  • There is not a trawler in the North Sea catches more fish than the Sparrow-hawk.

  • It is because he has won the prize so often that he is called the Sparrow-hawk.

  • My idea is, to send out the Sparrow-Hawk, being so fast a sailer.

    The Privateersman

    Frederick Marryat

  • Captain Irving recognised the Sparrow-Hawk, and immediately came on board.

    The Privateersman

    Frederick Marryat

British Dictionary definitions for sparrow hawk

sparrow hawk

noun
  1. a very small North American falcon, Falco sparverius, that is closely related to the kestrels
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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