hawk

• (UK) enPR: hôk, IPA^(key): /hɔːk/
• (US) enPR: hôk, IPA^(key): /hɔk/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: häk, IPA^(key): /hɑk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːk
• Homophone: hock (accents with cot-caught merger)

From Middle English hauke, hauk, hawke, havek, from Old English hafoc, heafoc, from Proto-Germanic *habukaz (compare West Frisian hauk, German Low German Haavke, Dutch havik, German Habicht, Norwegian hauk, Faroese heykur, Icelandic haukur), from Proto-Indo-European *kopuǵos (compare Latin capys, capus (“bird of prey”), Albanian gabonjë, shkabë (“eagle”), Russian ко́бец (kóbec, “falcon”), Polish kobuz (“Eurasian Hobby”)), perhaps ultimately derived from *keh₂p- (“seize”).

hawk (plural hawks)

1. A diurnal predatory bird of the family Accipitridae, smaller than an eagle.

   It is illegal to hunt hawks or other raptors in many parts of the world.

2. Any diurnal predatory terrestrial bird of similar size and and appearance to the accipitrid hawks, such as a falcon
3. (politics) An advocate of aggressive political positions and actions.

   Synonyms: warmonger, war hawk

   Antonym: dove

   • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 106:

     A hawk by nature, Ellenborough strongly favoured presenting St Petersburg with an ultimatum warning that any further incursions into Persia would be regarded as a hostile act.

4. (game theory) An uncooperative or purely-selfish participant in an exchange or game, especially when untrusting, acquisitive or treacherous. Refers specifically to the Prisoner's Dilemma, alias the Hawk-Dove game.

   Antonym: dove

• creshawk
• goshawk
• sparhawk

• Sranan Tongo: aka

hawk (third-person singular simple present hawks, present participle hawking, simple past and past participle hawked)

1. (transitive) To hunt with a hawk.
   • 2003, Brenda Joyce, House of Dreams, page 175:

     He rode astride while hawking; she falconed in the ladylike position of sidesaddle.

2. (intransitive) To make an attack while on the wing; to soar and strike like a hawk.

   to hawk at flies

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

   • Shakespeare

     A falcon, towering in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed.

• hawk after
• hawk at
• hawk for
• hawker
• hawking

Uncertain origin; perhaps from Middle English hache (“battle-axe”), or from a variant use of the above.

hawk (plural hawks)

1. A plasterer's tool, made of a flat surface with a handle below, used to hold an amount of plaster prior to application to the wall or ceiling being worked on: a mortarboard.

   Synonym: mortarboard

• hawk boy, hawk-boy

Back-formation from hawker.

hawk (third-person singular simple present hawks, present participle hawking, simple past and past participle hawked)

1. (transitive) To sell; to offer for sale by outcry in the street; to carry (merchandise) about from place to place for sale; to peddle.

   The vendors were hawking their wares from little tables lining either side of the market square.

   • Jonathan Swift

     His works were hawked in every street.

• hawked
• hawkery
• hawking
• hawky

• hawker

Onomatopoeic.

hawk (plural hawks)

1. A noisy effort to force up phlegm from the throat.

• hawking (noun)

hawk (third-person singular simple present hawks, present participle hawking, simple past and past participle hawked)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To cough up something from one's throat.
   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, I. xvi. 117

     He hawked up, with incredible straining, the interjection ah!

   • 1953, Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March, Viking Press, chapter 3:

     He had a new tough manner of pulling down breath and hawking into the street.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To try to cough up something from one's throat; to clear the throat loudly.

   Grandpa sat on the front porch, hawking and wheezing, as he packed his pipe with cheap tobacco.

• hawking (noun)

• Hawkshaw, hawkshaw
• Hawkubite
• winkle-hawk

• hawk on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

hawk

1. Lenited form of shawk.