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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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