rap·to·ri·al

[rap-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-]
adjective
1.
preying upon other animals; predatory.
2.
adapted for seizing prey, as the bill or claws of a bird.
3.
belonging or pertaining to the Raptores, a former order in which the falconiform and strigiform birds were erroneously grouped together.

Origin:
1815–25; < Latin raptōr- (stem of raptor raptor) + -ial

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To raptorial
Collins
World English Dictionary
raptorial (ræpˈtɔːrɪəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  (of the feet of birds) adapted for seizing prey
2.  (esp of birds) feeding on prey; predatory
3.  of or relating to birds of prey
 
[C19: from Latin raptor a robber, from rapere to snatch]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Raptorial is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

raptorial
"predatory," 1825, from L. raptor "robber," from rapt-, pp. stem of rapere "seize" (see rapid). Raptor in ornithology is first attested 1873.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Holders of this federal permit are not required to obtain a state permit to take migratory birds, other than raptorial birds.
Comparative morphology of the gastrointestinal tract in raptorial birds.
The insect hid in hippo dung, then ambushed the fish, snatching it with raptorial forelegs.
These birds are not at the top of the food chain but are commonly found in the diets of raptorial birds.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT