gyrfalcon
pronunciation
How to pronounce gyrfalcon in British English:
UK ['dʒɜ:ˌfɔ:lkən]
How to pronounce gyrfalcon in American English:
US ['dʒɜˌfɔlkən]
-
- Noun:
- large and rare arctic falcon having white and dark color phases
Word Origin
- gyrfalcon (n.)
- large falcon used in hawking, also gerfalcon, c. 1200, partly anglicized from Old French girfauc "large northern falcon," probably from a Frankish compound with Latin falco "hawk" (see falcon) + first element meaning "vulture," from Proto-Germanic *ger (source of Old High German gir "vulture"). Folk etymology since the Middle Ages has connected it with Latin gyrus (see gyre (n.)) in reference to "circling" in the air.