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Webster 1913 Edition

Falcon

Fal′con

,
Noun.
[OE.
faucon
,
faucoun
, OF.
faucon
,
falcon
, [GREEK].
faucon
, fr. LL.
falco
, perh. from L.
falx, falcis
, a sickle or scythe, and named from its curving talons. Cf.
Falchion
.]
1.
(Zool.)
(a)
One of a family (
Falconidæ
) 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
.
(Zool.)
See under
Chanting
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Falcon

FAL'CON

,
Noun.
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.

Definition 2024

falcon

falcon

See also: falcón

English

Brown falcon (Falco berigora)

Alternative forms

Noun

falcon ‎(plural falcons)

  1. Any bird of the genus Falco, all of which are birds of prey.
  2. A female such bird, a male being a tiercel.
  3. A light cannon used from the 15th to the 17th century; a falconet.

Derived terms

Translations

Related terms

Verb

falcon ‎(third-person singular simple present falcons, present participle falconing, simple past and past participle falconed)

  1. To hunt with a falcon or falcons.
    • 2003, Brenda Joyce, House of Dreams, page 175:
      He rode astride while hawking; she falconed in the ladylike position of sidesaddle.

Anagrams

Ladin

Noun

falcon m

  1. kestrel

Old French

Noun

falcon m ‎(oblique plural falcons, nominative singular falcons, nominative plural falcon)

  1. Alternative form of faucon (falcon)

Old Provençal

Etymology

Latin falco.

Noun

falcon m ‎(oblique plural falcons, nominative singular falcons, nominative plural falcon)

  1. falcon (bird)

References

Etymology

From Middle English falcon, faulcon, from Old French falcun, from Late Latin falcō ‎(“falcon”), of Germanic origin, probably via Old Frankish *falko ‎(“falcon, hawk”), from Proto-Germanic *falkô ‎(“falcon”), from Proto-Indo-European *pol̑- ‎(“pale”), from *pel- ‎(“fallow”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: fôlʹkən, fôʹkən, fălʹkən, IPA(key): /ˈfɔː(l)kən/, /ˈfɒlkən/, /ˈfælkən/
  • Rhymes: -ɔːkən

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