tiercel

Everyday

A tiercel (also spelled tercel) is a male hawk or falcon, especially in falconry, the sport of training hawks to hunt. tree →

In the lessons

In falconry and nature books, «tiercel» is the old special word for the male bird, which is about a third smaller than the female (the name comes from the old word for «third»). Children may meet it in bird-of-prey displays, historical stories and old poems. Phrases: «a tiercel peregrine», «falcon and tiercel».

Examples

• The falconer flew a tiercel peregrine at the show. tree →
• A tiercel is smaller than the female falcon. tree →
• The tiercel landed on the falconer's glove. tree →
• In the old poem, the knight kept a tiercel. tree →
• The female falcon is bigger than the tiercel. tree →
• The tiercel brought food to the nest. tree →

Note

Rare, specialist word. Also «tercel». Female hawks and falcons are usually larger than males — the opposite of many other birds.