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Webster 1913 Edition

Hawk

Hawk

(ha̤k)
,
Noun.
[OE.
hauk
(prob. fr. Icel.),
havek
, AS.
hafoc
,
heafoc
; akin to D.
havik
, OHG.
habuh
, G.
habicht
, Icel.
haukr
, Sw.
hök
, Dan.
hög
, prob. from the root of E.
heave
.]
(Zool.)
One of numerous species and genera of rapacious birds of the family
Falconidae
. They differ from the true falcons in lacking the prominent tooth and notch of the bill, and in having shorter and less pointed wings. Many are of large size and grade into the eagles. Some, as the goshawk, were formerly trained like falcons. In a more general sense the word is not infrequently applied, also, to true falcons, as the sparrow hawk, pigeon hawk, duck hawk, and prairie hawk.
☞ Among the common American species are the red-tailed hawk (
Buteo borealis
); the red-shouldered (
Buteo lineatus
); the broad-winged (
Buteo Pennsylvanicus
); the rough-legged (
Archibuteo lagopus
); the sharp-shinned (
Accipiter fuscus
). See
Fishhawk
,
Goshawk
,
Marsh hawk
, under
Marsh
,
Night hawk
, under
Night
.
Bee hawk
(Zool.)
,
the honey buzzard.
–
Eagle hawk
.
See under
Eagle
.
–
Hawk eagle
(Zool.)
,
an Asiatic bird of the genus
Spizaetus
, or
Limnaetus
, intermediate between the hawks and eagles. There are several species.
–
Hawk fly
(Zool.)
,
a voracious fly of the family
Asilidae
. See
Hornet fly
, under
Hornet
.
–
Hawk moth
.
(Zool.)
See
Hawk moth
, in the Vocabulary.
–
Hawk owl
.
(Zool.)
(a)
A northern owl (
Surnia ulula
) of Europe and America. It flies by day, and in some respects resembles the hawks.
(b)
An owl of India (
Ninox scutellatus
).
–
Hawk’s bill
(Horology)
,
the pawl for the rack, in the striking mechanism of a clock.

Hawk

(ha̤k)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Hawked
(ha̤kt)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Hawking
.]
1.
To catch, or attempt to catch, birds by means of hawks trained for the purpose, and let loose on the prey; to practice falconry.
A falconer Henry is, when Emma
hawks
.
Prior.
2.
To make an attack while on the wing; to soar and strike like a hawk; – generally with at;
as, to
hawk
at flies
.
Dryden.
A falcon, towering in her pride of place,
Was by a mousing owl
hawked
at and killed.
Shakespeare

Hawk

,
Verb.
I.
[W.
hochi
.]
To clear the throat with an audible sound by forcing an expiratory current of air through the narrow passage between the depressed soft palate and the root of the tongue, thus aiding in the removal of foreign substances.

Hawk

,
Verb.
T.
To raise by hawking, as phlegm.

Hawk

,
Noun.
[W.
hoch
.]
An effort to force up phlegm from the throat, accompanied with noise.

Hawk

,
Verb.
T.
[Akin to D.
hauker
a hawker, G.
höken
,
höcken
, to higgle, to retail,
höke
,
höker
, a higgler, huckster. See
Huckster
.]
To offer for sale by outcry in the street; to carry (merchandise) about from place to place for sale; to peddle;
as, to
hawk
goods or pamphlets
.
His works were
hawked
in every street.
Swift.

Hawk

,
Noun.
(Masonry)
A small board, with a handle on the under side, to hold mortar.
Hawk boy
,
an attendant on a plasterer to supply him with mortar.

Webster 1828 Edition

Hawk

HAWK

,
Noun.
A genus of fowls, the Falco, of many species, having a crooked beak, furnished with a cere at the base, a cloven tongue, and the head thick set with feathers. Most of the species are rapacious, feeding on birds or other small animals. Hawks were formerly trained for sport or catching small birds.

HAWK

,
Verb.
I.
To catch or attempt to catch birds by means of hawks trained for the purpose, and let loose on the prey; to practice falconry.
He that hawks at larks and sparrows.
A falc'ner Henry is, when Emma hawks.
1.
To fly at; to attack on the wing; with at.
To hawk at flies.

HAWK

,
Verb.
I.
To make an effort to force up phlegm with noise; as, to hawk and spit.
To hawk up, transitively; as, to hawk up phlegm.

HAWK

,
Noun.
An effort to force up phlegm from the throat, accompanied with noise.

HAWK

,
Verb.
T.
[L. auctio, auction, a sale by outcry.] To cry; to offer for sale by outcry in the street, or to sell by outcry; as, to hawk goods or pamphlets.

Definition 2024

hawk

hawk

English

A juvenile goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

Noun

hawk ‎(plural hawks)

  1. A diurnal predatory bird of the family Accipitridae.
    It is illegal to hunt hawks or other raptors in many parts of the world.
  2. (politics) An advocate of aggressive political positions and actions; a warmonger.
    • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 106:
      A hawk by nature, Ellenborough strongly favoured presenting St Petersburg with an ultimatum warning that any further incursions into Persia would be regarded as a hostile act.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Verb

hawk ‎(third-person singular simple present hawks, present participle hawking, simple past and past participle hawked)

  1. (transitive) To hunt with a hawk.
    • 2003, Brenda Joyce, House of Dreams, page 175:
      He rode astride while hawking; she falconed in the ladylike position of sidesaddle.
  2. (intransitive) To make an attack while on the wing; to soar and strike like a hawk.
    to hawk at flies
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)
    • Shakespeare
      A falcon, towering in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.
Translations
Derived terms
  • hawk after
  • hawk at
  • hawk for
  • hawking

Etymology 2

Uncertain origin; perhaps from Middle English hache ‎(“battle-axe”), or from a variant use of the above.

Noun

hawk ‎(plural hawks)

  1. A plasterer's tool, made of a flat surface with a handle below, used to hold an amount of plaster prior to application to the wall or ceiling being worked on: a mortarboard.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Back-formation from hawker.

Verb

hawk ‎(third-person singular simple present hawks, present participle hawking, simple past and past participle hawked)

  1. (transitive) To sell; to offer for sale by outcry in the street; to carry (merchandise) about from place to place for sale; to peddle.
    The vendors were hawking their wares from little tables lining either side of the market square.
    • Jonathan Swift
      His works were hawked in every street.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 4

Onomatopoeia.

Noun

hawk ‎(plural hawks)

  1. An effort to force up phlegm from the throat, accompanied with noise.
Synonyms
Translations

Verb

hawk ‎(third-person singular simple present hawks, present participle hawking, simple past and past participle hawked)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To cough up something from one's throat.
  2. (transitive, intransitive) To try to cough up something from one's throat; to clear the throat loudly.
    Grandpa sat on the front porch, hawking and wheezing, as he packed his pipe with cheap tobacco.
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Etymology

From Middle English hauk, hauke, hawke, havek, from Old English hafoc, heafoc, from Proto-Germanic *habukaz (compare West Frisian hauk, German Low German Haavke, Dutch havik, German Habicht, Norwegian hauk, Faroese heykur, Icelandic haukur), from Proto-Indo-European *kobuĝo (compare Latin capys, capus ‎(“bird of prey”), Albanian gabonjë, shkabë ‎(“eagle”), Russian ко́бец ‎(kóbec, “falcon”), Polish kobuz ‎(“Eurasian Hobby”)), perhaps ultimately derived from *keh₂p- ‎(“seize”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: hôk, IPA(key): /hɔːk/
  • (US) enPR: hôk, IPA(key): /hɔk/
  • (cot–caught merger) enPR: häk, IPA(key): /hɑk/
  • Rhymes: -ɔːk

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