gyrfalcon
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (1)
- large and rare Arctic falcon having white and dark color phasesSynonyms: gerfalconFalco rusticolusType of falconMember of Falco, genus Falco
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Gyr′fal′con (jẽr′fa̤′k'n), noun
Origin: OE. gerfaucon, OF. gerfaucon, LL. gyrofalco, perh. fr. L. gyrus circle + falco falcon, and named from its circling flight; or cf. E. gier-eagle. See Gyre, noun, Falcon.
Zoology One of several species and varieties of large Arctic falcons, esp. Falco rusticolus and the white species Falco Islandicus, both of which are circumpolar. The black and the gray are varieties of the former. See Illust. of Accipiter. [Written also gerfalcon, gierfalcon, and jerfalcon.]
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54