raptor

noun

1. a raptorial bird.

noun

1. another name for bird of prey
2. informal a carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period

n.

c.1600, “ravisher, abductor,” from Latin raptor “a robber, plunderer, abductor, ravisher,” agent noun from past participle stem of rapere “to seize” (see rapid). Ornithological use is from 1873 (1823 in Latin plural Raptores).

1. A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl.
2. Any of various mostly small, slender, carnivorous dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period. Raptors had hind legs that were adapted for leaping and large, curved claws used for grasping and tearing at prey. Raptors were probably related to birds, and some even had feathers.