OSPREY


Meaning of OSPREY in English

/ ˈɒspreɪ; NAmE ˈɑːs-/ noun

a large bird of prey (= a bird that kills other creatures for food) that eats fish

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WORD ORIGIN

late Middle English : from Old French ospres , apparently based on Latin ossifraga (mentioned by Pliny, the Roman senator and writer, and identified with the lammergeier - large vulture), from os bone + frangere to break, probably because of the lammergeier's habit of dropping bones from a height to break them and reach the marrow.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.