I. ˈfalkən also ˈfȯlk- sometimes ˈfȯk- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English faucoun, falcon, from Old French faucon, falcon, from Late Latin falcon-, falco, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German falcho falcon, Middle Low German valke, and to the masculine name Falco attested among Lombards, Visigoths, and Franks; probably from a prehistoric Germanic compound whose constituents are akin respectively to Old High German falo pale, faded, dun-colored and Old High German -h, -ch (suffix designating a bird) — more at fallow
1.
a. : any of various hawks trained or adapted for use in the sport of hawking ; especially : peregrine falcon — used technically only of a female; see tiercel ; compare ignoble hawk , noble hawk
b. : any of various hawks of the family Falconidae distinguished by their long wings, by having a distinct notch and tooth or sometimes two teeth on the edge of the upper mandible where it begins to bend down, and by their usually plunging down on their prey from above in hunting — compare accipiter
c. : hawk 1a
2. : a light piece of ordnance used from the 15th to the 17th centuries
[s]falcon.jpg[/s] [
falcon 1: 1 hood, 2 jess, 3 gauntlet
]
II. intransitive verb
( falconed ; falconed ; falconing -k(ə)niŋ ; falcons )
: to hunt with falcons