buzzard
UK /ˈbʌzəd/ · US /ˈbʌzɚd/ noun, proper noun
Forms buzzards
- noun Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.
- noun (Canada, US) Any scavenging bird, such as the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus) or the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).
- noun (colloquial, derogatory, slang, often preceded by "old", the "old buzzard") In North America, a curmudgeonly or cantankerous man; an old person; a mean, greedy person.
- noun (archaic) A blockhead; a dunce.
- noun (golf) Synonym of double bogey.
- noun (US, military slang, World War I) A fighter plane.
- noun (US, military slang, 20th century) The insignia of a colonel, or a petty officer within the navy.
- noun (US, military slang, 1860s–1920s) A military discharge (due to the military discharge certificate).
- noun (euphemistic) A bastard.
- proper noun A surname from Old French.
Synonyms
double bogey buteo broadwing turkey vulture vulture turkey buzzard Cathartes aura Buteo buteo
Etymology
From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A bird of prey of the Hawk family, belonging to the genus Buteo and related genera.
- noun A blockhead; a dunce.
- adjective Senseless; stupid. [R.& Obs.] Milton.
Etymology [O.E. busard, bosard, F. busard, fr. buse, L. buteo, a kind of falcon or hawk.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “buzzard”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details