Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
goshawk [gos-hawk] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- any of several powerful, short-winged hawks, as Accipiter gentilis, of Europe and America, formerly much used in falconry.
Origin of goshawk before 1000; Middle English goshauk, Old English gōshafoc. See goose, hawk1 Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for goshawk Historical Examples of goshawk
A goshawk is a goose hawk, so called from its preying on poultry.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)
Ernest Weekley
There were two things, however, about which nobody on board the Goshawk was thinking.
W. O. Stoddard
It was of larger size than the British bunting displayed by the Goshawk.
W. O. Stoddard
She had barely escaped paying dearly for her pursuit of the Goshawk.
W. O. Stoddard
“I can get on board,” he said, as if his patient quadruped had been the Goshawk.
W. O. Stoddard
British Dictionary definitions for goshawk goshawk noun
- a large hawk, Accipiter gentilis, of Europe, Asia, and North America, having a bluish-grey back and wings and paler underparts: used in falconry
Word Origin for goshawk Old English gōshafoc; see goose 1, hawk 1 Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for goshawk n.
Old English goshafoc, literally “goose-hawk,” from gos “goose” (see goose (n.)) + hafoc “hawk” (see hawk (n.)). Cf. Old Norse gashaukr.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
