| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| osprey |
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| SYLLABICATION: | os·prey |
| PRONUNCIATION: | s pr , -pr |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. os·preys 1. A fish-eating hawk (Pandion haliaetus) having plumage that is dark on the back and white below. Also called fish hawk. 2. A plume formerly used to trim women's hats. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English osprai, from Anglo-Norman ospreit, from Medieval Latin avis prede, bird of prey : Latin avis, bird; see awi- in Appendix I + Latin praedae, genitive of praeda, booty, prey; see ghend- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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