tercel

Also terce·let

[tur-suhl]

noun

Falconry.

1. the male of a hawk, especially of a gyrfalcon or peregrine.

tercel

/ ˈtɜːsəl /

noun

1. a male falcon or hawk, esp as used in falconry

Word History and Origins

Origin of tercel¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French terçuel < Vulgar Latin *tertiolus, equivalent to Latin terti ( us ) third + -olus -ole ¹; probably so called because the male is about one third smaller than the female

Word History and Origins

Origin of tercel¹

C14: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin tertiolus (unattested), from Latin tertius third, referring to the tradition that only one egg in three hatched a male chick

Example Sentences

A wild tercel, the male peregrine falcon, passed overhead.

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Tiercel.—The male of various falcons, particularly of the peregrine, also tarcell, tassell or tercel; the term is also applied to the male of the goshawk.

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Ere long Mer made exhibition of her high strain and training—for the little falcon was also a female—sufficient to prove herself neither tercel nor haggard.

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The tassel, or tercel, was the male of the peregrine falcon, and was noted for its docility and gentleness.

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The only difference being, that the victim then was a tercel gentle, and now it would be a white dove.

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