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Hawks

 [hawks]   Origin

Hawks

   [hawks]
noun
Howard (Winchester), 1896–1977, U.S. film director.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

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.
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

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.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
Hawks (hɔːks)
 
—n
Howard (Winchester). 1896--1977, US film director. His films include Sergeant York (1941) and The Big Sleep (1946)

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
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.
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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