n. 1. a. Any of various birds of prey of the family Falconidae and especially of the genus Falco, having a short, curved beak and long, pointed, powerful wings adapted for swift flight. b. Any of several birds of these or related species, such as hawks, trained to hunt small game. c. A female bird of this type used in falconry. 2. A small cannon in use from the 15th to the 17th century. [Middle English, from Old French faucon, falcun, from Late Latin falcō, falcōn-; see pel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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