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hawk

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hawk

1   [hawk]
noun
1.
any of numerous birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, having a short, hooked beak, broad wings, and curved talons, often seen circling or swooping at low altitudes.
2.
any of several similar, unrelated birds, as the nighthawk.
3.
Informal. a person who preys on others, as a sharper.
4.
Also called war hawk. Informal. a person, especially one in public office, who advocates war or a belligerent national attitude. Compare dove (def. 5).
5.
any person who pursues an aggressive policy in business, government, etc.: The corporation is now run by a bunch of young hawks.
verb (used without object)
6.
to fly, or hunt on the wing, like a hawk.
7.
to hunt with hawks.

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Hawk is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to flee; abscond:
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Origin:
before 900; Middle English hauk(e), Old English hafoc; cognate with Old Frisian havek, Old Saxon habuc Old High German habuh, Old Norse haukr hawk, perhaps Polish kobuz kind of falcon

Related forms
hawk·like, adjective
Example Sentences
  • Violet the red-tailed hawk feeding her hatchling this morning.
  • After all, you do need to hawk your wares, but the majority of time is spent alone in the work.
  • He was also an inflation hawk who set great store by fiscal stability.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

hawk

2   [hawk]
verb (used with object)
1.
to peddle or offer for sale by calling aloud in public.
2.
to advertise or offer for sale: to hawk soap on television.
3.
to spread (rumors, news, etc.).
verb (used without object)
4.
to carry wares about for sale; peddle.
Origin:
1470–80; back formation from hawker2

hawk

3   [hawk]
verb (used without object)
1.
to make an effort to raise phlegm from the throat; clear the throat noisily.
verb (used with object)
2.
to raise by hawking: to hawk phlegm up.
noun
3.
a noisy effort to clear the throat.
Origin:
1575–85; imitative; see haw1

hawk

4   [hawk]
noun
a small, square board with a handle underneath it, used by plasterers and masons to hold plaster or mortar being applied.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps variant of hache battle-ax (see hatchet)

Hawk

   [hawk]
noun Military.
a medium-range, mobile U.S. surface-to-air missile system.
Origin:
H(oming) A(ll the) W(ay) K(iller)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To hawk
Collins
World English Dictionary
hawk1 (hɔːk)
 
—n
1.  any of various diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, such as the goshawk and Cooper's hawk, typically having short rounded wings and a long tailRelated: accipitrine
2.  (US), (Canadian) any of various other falconiform birds, including the falcons but not the eagles or vultures
3.  Compare dove a person who advocates or supports war or warlike policies
4.  a ruthless or rapacious person
5.  know a hawk from a handsaw to be able to judge things; be discerning
 
—vb
6.  (intr) to hunt with falcons, hawks, etc
7.  (intr) (of falcons or hawks) to fly in quest of prey
8.  to pursue or attack on the wing, as a hawk
 
Related: accipitrine
 
[Old English hafoc; related to Old Norse haukr, Old Frisian havek, Old High German habuh, Polish kobuz]
 
'hawklike1
 
—adj

hawk2 (hɔːk)
 
—vb (often foll by about)
1.  to offer (goods) for sale, as in the street
2.  to spread (news, gossip, etc)
 
[C16: back formation from hawker1]

hawk3 (hɔːk)
 
—vb
1.  (intr) to clear the throat noisily
2.  (tr) to force (phlegm) up from the throat
3.  (Brit) a slang word for spit
 
—n
4.  a noisy clearing of the throat
 
[C16: of imitative origin; see haw²]

hawk4 (hɔːk)
 
—n
Also called: mortar board a small square board with a handle underneath, used for carrying wet plaster or mortar
 
[of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hawk
O.E. hafoc (W. Saxon), from P.Gmc. *khabukaz (cf. O.N. haukr, M.Du. havik, Ger. Habicht "hawk"), from a root meaning "to seize," fro PIE *gabh- (cf. Rus. kobec "a kind of falcon"). Hawkish "militaristic" first attested 1965; hawk in this sense is attested from 1962.
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hawk
1542 (hawker is attested from 1510), from M.L.G. höken "to peddle, carry on the back, squat," from P.Gmc. *khuk-. Despite the etymological connection with stooping under a burden on one's back, a hawker is technically distinguished from a peddler by use of a horse and cart or a van.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

hawk definition


  1. n.
    someone who supports a warlike U.S. defense policy. (Compare this with dove.) : The hawks want to raise taxes and buy tanks.
  2. in.
    to cough mightily; to cough something up. : The cold has had me hawking for a week.
  3. n.
    the hawk the cold winter wind. (Originally black. Always with the in this sense. See also Mr. Hawkins.) : Man, just feel the hawk cut through you!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary

Hawk definition


(Heb. netz, a word expressive of strong and rapid flight, and hence appropriate to the hawk). It is an unclean bird (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15). It is common in Syria and surrounding countries. The Hebrew word includes various species of Falconidae, with special reference perhaps to the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), the hobby (Hypotriorchis subbuteo), and the lesser kestrel (Tin, Cenchris). The kestrel remains all the year in Palestine, but some ten or twelve other species are all migrants from the south. Of those summer visitors to Palestine special mention may be made of the Falco sacer and the Falco lanarius. (See NIGHT-HAWK ØT0002729.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

hawk

see watch like a hawk.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases
watch like a hawk
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