different between gyrfalcon vs falcon

English

Wikispecies

Alternative forms

• gerfalcon, jerfalcon

Etymology

From Old French gerfaucon (modern French gerfaut), with the first element probably from Old High German g?r (“vulture”) (whence the German Geier).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?d???f??lk?n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?d???fælk?n/

Noun

gyrfalcon (plural gyrfalcons)

1. (obsolete) Any large falcon, especially as used to fly at herons.
2. Falco rusticolus, a large bird of prey that breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia.
   • 2007, Michael Chabon, Gentlemen of the Road, Sceptre 2008, p. 132:

     [...] the usurper Buljan ordered that his sukkah be erected on the donjon's roof, with its [...] relative nearness to the stars, among which his sky-worshiping and uncircumcised ancestors still hunted with infallible gyrfalcons for celestial game.

Translations

Further reading

• Falco rusticolus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

English

Alternative forms

• faulcon (obsolete), faucon (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fôl?k?n, fô?k?n, IPA^(key): /?f??(l)k?n/, /?f?lk?n/
• (US) enPR: f?l?k?n, IPA^(key): /?fælk?n/ IPA^(key): /?f??lk?n/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /?fælk?n/, IPA^(key): /?fo?lk?n/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?f?lk?n/, IPA^(key): /?fo?lk?n/
• Rhymes: -??(l)k?n

Originally, the l was silent and purely etymological. Its pronunciation began through spelling pronunciation and is followed by most speakers, though some speakers still use l-less pronunciations.

Noun

falcon (plural falcons)

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

Derived terms

• black falcon
• brown falcon
• gray falcon, grey falcon

Related terms

• Capra falconeri
• falconer
• falconet
• falcon-gentil, falcon-gentle
• falconine
• falconry
• gerfalcon, gyrfalcon
• peregrine falcon

Translations

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.

Anagrams

• flacon

Ladin

Noun

falcon m

1. kestrel

Middle English

Noun

falcon

1. Alternative form of faucoun

Occitan

Alternative forms

• faucon

Etymology

From Old Occitan falcon, from Late Latin falco, falconem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fal?ku/

Noun

falcon m (plural falcons)

1. falcon

   Synonym: moisset

Derived terms

• falconièr

Old French

Noun

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

1. Alternative form of faucon (falcon)

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Late Latin falco, falconem.

Noun

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

1. falcon (bird)

Descendants

• Catalan: falcó
• Occitan: falcon

References

• von Wartburg, Walther (1928–2002) , “falco”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 30, page 381