falcon

[ fawl-kuhn, fal-, faw-kuhn ]

noun

1. any of several birds of prey of the family Falconidae, especially of the genus Falco, usually distinguished by long, pointed wings, a hooked beak with a toothlike notch on each side of the upper bill, and swift, agile flight, typically diving to seize prey: some falcon species are close to extinction.
2. Falconry.
   1. the female gyrfalcon.
   2. falcon-gentle.
   3. any bird of prey trained for use in falconry. Compare tercel.
3. a small, light cannon in use from the 15th to the 17th century.
4. Falcon, Military. a family of air-to-air guided missiles, some of them capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

falcon

/ ˈfɔːkən; ˈfɔːlkən /

noun

1. any diurnal bird of prey of the family Falconidae , esp any of the genus Falco (gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, etc), typically having pointed wings and a long tail
2. 1. any of these or related birds, trained to hunt small game
   2. the female of such a bird Compare tercel falconine
3. a light-medium cannon used from the 15th to 17th centuries

Other Words From

• fal·co·nine [fawl, -k, uh, -nahyn, -nin, fal, -, faw, -k, uh, -], adjective
• falco·noid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of falcon¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English fauco(u)n, falcon, from Anglo-French, Old French faucon, from Late Latin falcōn- (stem of falcō ) “hawk” (said to be derivative of falx, stem falc- “sickle,” referring to the sicklelike talons)

Word History and Origins

Origin of falcon¹

C13: from Old French faucon , from Late Latin falcō hawk, probably of Germanic origin; perhaps related to Latin falx sickle

Example Sentences

That dominance was only broken in the 2010s by US entrepreneur Elon Musk and his reusable Falcon-9 rockets.

From BBC

Falcon flight rates and prices undercut the competitiveness of Ariane-5.

From BBC

"But it's a matter of pricing. If Falcon-9 is systematically undercutting the price offer of Ariane-6, there will be an issue."

From BBC

It is more powerful than its SpaceX competitor, the Falcon 9, but that rocket has a fully reusable booster and flight costs starting at less than $70 million.

From Los Angeles Times

Nicholas Prosper, 18, is facing three charges of murder after his mother Juliana Falcon, 48, his brother Kyle Prosper, 16, and his sister Giselle Prosper, 13, died at their home in Leabank in Marsh Farm, Luton, on 13 September.

From BBC