falcon Hear it!

falcon Definition

fal·con (fal′kən, fôl′-, fäl′-, fô′-)

noun

  1. any bird of prey trained to hunt and kill small game: in falconry the female is called a falcon, the male a tiercel
  2. any of various birds of prey (family Falconidae), with long, pointed wings and a short, curved, notched beak
  3. a small cannon used from the 15th to the 17th cent.

Etymology: ME < OFr faucon < LL falco (gen. falconis), deriv. by folk etym. < L falx (see falcate) because of its curved beak and talons, but prob. < Gmc *falco (OHG falcho) < IE base *pel-, fallow

falcon Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • perch: Between Cancer and Sirius is a peculiar symbol; a falcon perched on a vertical ' club ' .
  • fly: Our flying falcons can get to over 100 MPH.
  • watch: We watched the beautiful falcon at rest for nearly ten minutes!
  • see: I drove to the Airport where I again saw the Falcon in flight heading further up the valley.
  • include: Diarist Samuel Pepys took advantage of its many inns, including the Falcon in 1662.
  • have: Nearly everyone who could afford one had a falcon of some type.

Preposition: in

flight: I drove to the Airport where I again saw the Falcon in flight heading further up the valley.

Adjective modifier

  • peregrine: The fastest creature on earth is thought to be the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of over 150 mph in a dive.
  • Maltese: There was one in The Maltese Falcon, which is a falcon.
  • red-footed: Red-footed falcon: one of the highlights of the week was the often impressive passage of this species over Akrotiri.
  • large: Which is why no large wild falcons live in farmland in the UK, only in coastal or open areas.
  • small: The Merlin is the smallest falcon in the UK.
  • red-necked: I was scanning ahead and shouted that we were coming up to a Red-necked Falcon perched on a tree.

Modifies a noun

tube: Spin out antibody precipitate ( eg 30 mins 3500rpm using 50ml Falcon tubes in bench centrifuge ).

Noun used with modifier

  • lanner: Lanner falcons can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour in one of their famous power dives called a stoop.
  • ml: The flow through was collected in a 50 ml falcon tube and applied once more to the column.
  • RAF: Charities Each year the RAF Falcons support a local charity.
  • hobby: Swallows collect in their thousands to roost in the reed beds and are hunted by the elegant hobby falcon.
  • pygmy: The red-billed buffalo weaver nests on the track into the Lodge had some pygmy falcons in residence.
  • hunting: Trafalgar Square used to be the site of the Royal Mews, where hunting falcons were kept.