harrier
oxford
views updated May 18 2018har·ri·er1 / ˈharēər/ •
n. a person who engages in persistent attacks on others or incursions into their land.har·ri·er2 •
n. a hound of a breed used for hunting hares. ∎ a cross-country runner.har·ri·er3 •
n. a long-winged, slender-bodied bird of prey (genus Circus, family Accipitridae) with low quartering flight.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
harrier
oxford
views updated May 23 2018harrier2 one who harries; falcon of the genus
Circus. XVI. (In the second sense, early forms
har(r)oer,
harrower.) f.
HARROW1,
HARRY +
-ER1.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
harrier
oxford
views updated Jun 11 2018harrier1 hound for hunting the hare XVI; member of a hare-and-hounds team XIX. Early forms
hayrere,
heirere, f.
hayre HARE +
-ER1; assim. to next.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
harrier
oxford
views updated May 21 2018harrier Bird of prey. Active by day, it frequents grasslands where it swoops on small animals. It has a small bill and long wings, legs and tail. Length: 38–50cm (15–20in). Family Accipitridae; genus Circus.
World Encyclopedia
