Adjacent Words

Falcon definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FAL'CON, n. Sometimes pron. fawcon. [L. falco, a hawk. The falcon is probably so named from its curving beak or talons.]
1. A hawk; but appropriately, a hawk trained to sport, as in falconry, which see. It is said that this name is, by sportsmen, given to the female alone; for the male is smaller, weaker and less courageous, and is therefore called tircelet or tarsel.
This term, in ornithology, is applied to a division of the genus Falco, with a short hooked beak and very long wings, the strongest armed and most courageous species, and therefore used in falconry.
2. A sort of cannon, whose diameter at the bore is five inches and a quarter, and carrying shot of two pounds and a half.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight v
1: hunt with falcons; "The tribes like to falcon in the desert"

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English faucoun, falcon, from Anglo-French faucon, from Late Latin falcon-, falco, probably from Latin falc-, falx Date: 13th century 1. any of various hawks trained for use in falconry; especially peregrine falcon — used technically only of a female; compare tiercel 2. any of various hawks (family Falconidae) that have long pointed wings, a long tail, and a notched beak and that usually inhabit open areas

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 any diurnal bird of prey of the family Falconidae, having long pointed wings, and sometimes trained to hunt small game for sport. 2 (in falconry) a female falcon (cf. TERCEL). Etymology: ME f. OF faucon f. LL falco -onis, perh. f. L falx scythe or f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Falcon Fal"con, n. [OE. faucon, faucoun, OF. faucon, falcon, ?. faucon, fr. LL. falco, perh. from L. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe, and named from its curving talons. Cf. Falchion.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of a family (Falconid[ae]) of raptorial birds, characterized by a short, hooked beak, strong claws, and powerful flight. (b) Any species of the genus Falco, distinguished by having a toothlike lobe on the upper mandible; especially, one of this genus trained to the pursuit of other birds, or game. In the language of falconry, the female peregrine (Falco peregrinus) is exclusively called the falcon. --Yarrell. 2. (Gun.) An ancient form of cannon. Chanting falcon. (Zo["o]l.) See under Chanting.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(falcons) A falcon is a bird of prey that can be trained to hunt other birds and animals. N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fo'-k'-n, fol'-k'-n, fal'-kun: The Hebrews did not know the word. Their bird corresponding to our falcon, in all probability, was one of the smaller kestrels covered by the word nets, which seemed to cover all lesser birds of prey that we include in the hawk family. That some of our many divisions of species were known to them is indicated by the phrase "after its kind." The word occurs in the Revised Version (British and American) in Job 28:7, to translation 'ayyah, Greek gups (compare Le 11:14; De 14:13):

"That path no bird of prey knoweth,

Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it."

This substitutes "falcon" for "vulture" in the King James Version. The change weakens the force of the lines. All ornithologists know that eagles, vultures and the large hawks have such range of vision that they at once descend from heights at which we cannot see them to take prey on earth or food placed to tempt them. The falcons and sparrow hawks are small members of the family, some of which feed on little birds, some on insects. They are not celebrated for greater range of vision than other birds of the same location and feeding habits. The strength of these lines lay in the fact that if the path to the mine were so well concealed that the piercing eye of the vulture failed to find it, then it was perfectly hidden indeed.

Gene Stratton-Porter

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Hawk.