falcate 
ing in a point at the apex, the base terminating 
in a straight margin. 
falcated (fal'ka-ted), a. Same as falcate: the 
form of the word commonly used of the disk of 
a planet when less than half of it is illuminated. 
Venus, Mercury, and our Moon have phases, and appear 
sometimes falcated, sometimes gibbous, and sometimes 
more or less round. Derham, Astro-Theology, v. 1. 
falcatipn (fal-ka'shon), . [Cf. ML.falcatio(n-), 
a reaping with a sickle, < *falcrc, reap with a 
sickle: see falcator.] 1. The state or quality 
of being falcate. 2. That which is falciform. 
The locusts have antenme or long horns before, with a 
longfalcation or foreipateil tail behind. 
SirT. llroirne, Vulg. KIT., v. 3. 
falcator (fal'ka-tor), M. [< ML.falaitor, a sickle- 
man, < *falcare, reap with a sickle, < L. falx 
(falc-), a sickle.] If. A reaper or mower; 'one 
who cuts with a scythe or sickle. Blount. 2. 
[cap.] [NL.] Invrnith. : (a) A genus of birds 
with falcate bill : same as Drcjianis. (6) In the 
plural, Falcatores (fal-ka-to'rez), the creepers. 
See Certhia. 
falcatum (fal-ka'tum), H. ; pi. falcata (-ta). 
[ML., neut. of falcatus, hooked: see falcate.'] 
A sickle-shaped sword, especially the falchion. 
falces, n. Plural of falx. 
falchion (fal'chou or -shon), n. [Formerly 
faulchion; an alteration, to bring it nearer the 
It. or ML. form, of ME. fauchon, fauchoun, fa- 
choun, fawchun, etc., < OF. fauchon, faucon, 
fauson (cf. eqaiv.fuuchart,faussart, etc.), mod. 
F. fauchon, a sickle, = Pr.faus.io = It.falcione, < 
y[L.fahio(n-), s>\sofalco(ii-), a falchion, a short, 
broad sword with a slightly curved point, < L. 
falx (falc-), a sickle : see falcate, and cf .falcon.] 
A short, broad sword having a convex edge 
curving sharply to the point; loosely, as in 
poetry, any sword. In the proper sense, falchions 
were of two sorts: (a) With the back straight and the 
sharpened edge rounded gradually as far as the greatest 
width, which is about three fourths of the length of the 
blade from the hilt, and thence sharply curved to the 
point, (b) Having the back also curved, but in a concave 
curve, and more or less closely resembling tbe simitar, but 
distinguished from it by retaining the greatest width at a 
place near the point. 
Is noyther Peter the porter ne Voule with his fauchoune, 
That wil defende me the dore dynge ich neure so late. 
Piers Plowman (B), xv. 19. 
I have seen the day, with my good biting faulchion 
I would have made them skip : 1 am old now. 
Shak., Lear, v. 3. 
His brow was sad ; his eye beneath 
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath. 
Longfellow, Excelsior. 
Falcidian (fal-sid'i-an), a. Of or relating to the 
Roman Falcidius, who was tribune in 40 B. c. 
Falcidian portion, the fourth part of a decedent's 
estate, which was by Roman law guaranteed to the heir, 
even though legacies would otherwise have absorbed over 
three fourths of the estate. 
falciform (fal' si-form), a. [< L. falx (falc-), a 
sickle, + forma, shape.] Sickle-shaped; fal- 
cate. 
Five falciform folds of the perisoma, more or less cal- 
cified, project into the cavity of the body. 
Huxley, Auat. Invert., p. 476. 
Falciform antennas, in entom., antenuie in which the 
apical joints are gradually narrow, and together form an 
incurved terminal portion of the organ, something in the 
shape of a sickle. Falciform bone, an accessory ossicle 
of the carpus of the mole. Falciform cartilages, the 
semilunar cartilages of the knee. Falciform ligament, 
in anat. : (a) The broad longitudinal suspensoryligameiit 
of the liver, consisting of two layers of peritoneum re- 
flected from the under surface of the diaphragm, and con- 
taining the round ligament between them. (b) Either one 
of the horns or falcate edges of the saphenous opening of 
the fascia lata of the thigh. Falciform process. Same 
as /ate cerebri (which see, under falx). 
falcinel (fal'si-nel), . A book-name of the 
ibises of the genus Falciitellus : as, the glossy 
falcinel, F. igneus. 
Falcinellus (fal-si-nel'us), n. [NL., < I,, falx 
(falc-), a sickle.] luornith.: (a) [7. c.] TheLin- 
nean specific name of the glossy ibis, Tbisfalci- 
nelhis, taken as the generic name of the glossy 
ibises, of which there are several species. Becli- 
stein, 1803. (ft) A genus of birds : same as Prome- 
rops. Vieillot, 1816. (c) A genus of sandpipers, 
having as type the curlew-sandpiper, Tringa 
subarquata. Cuvier, 1817. (d) A genus of sand- 
pipers, having as type the broad-billed sand- 
piper, Limicola platyrhyncha. Kaup, 1829. 
Falcipennis (fal-si-pen'is), n. [NL., < falx 
(falc-), a sickle, + penna, a feather.] A genus 
of grouse, having falciform primaries, the type 
of which is Tetrao falcipennis of Hartlaub, or 
Falcipennis hartlaubi. D. G. Elliot, 1864. 
Falco (fal'ko), n. [LL., a falcon: see//co.] 
A genus of diurnal birds of prey. It was former- 
ly conterminous with the family Falconiilce, but is now 
usually restricted to species which have the beak toothed, 
L'lL'4 
the nasal tubercle centric, the ^ings long, strong, anil 
pointed, the tail moderate ami stiff, and a special con 
struction of the shoulder-joint. It includes the falcons 
proper, such as the peregrines, sakers, lanners, jug^ers. 
gerfalcons, merlins, hobbies, and kestrels. See falcon. 
falcon (fa'kn or fal'kon), . [Tho present spell- 
ing is an alteration, to bring the form near the 
L.; early mod. E. faucon, faulcon, etc.; <ME./<;w- 
con,faukon,fawkon,faii'ki'i/.r'inrri,iiii, < QV. fau- 
con, falcun, laterfaulcon, mod. faucon = Pr. fan- 
con, falc = OSp. falcon, Sp. hatcon = Pg. falrati 
= It.falcone = OHG. falcho, Q.falke = D. vallc = 
Icel. fdllci = Sw. Dan. falk = LGr. Qa/xuv, < LL. 
falco(n-), a falcon, so called from the hooked 
claws, < Li. falx (falc-), a sickle : seefatcate. Cf. 
gerfalcon.'] 1. A diurnal bird of prey, not a 
vulture; especially, a hawk used in falconry. 
The birds used in hawking belong to one of two groups : 
(a) Falcons proper in an ornitln 'logical sense (see def. 2 (c)), 
belonging to the restricted genus Falco, of which the pere- 
grine is the type. These birds rise above the quarry and 
stoop to it by dashing down from on high ; they are most 
highly esteemed for hawking, and called ///</<. (b) Hawks 
of the genus Astur, as the goshawk or falcon-gentle, which 
are quite differently shaped as to proportions of the wings, 
tail, and feet, and have consequently a different mode of 
flight. They capture the quarry by direct chase after 
it, and are called i<inoble & term somewhat loosely ex- 
tended to other birds of prey which cannot be trained to 
the chase at all. In heraldry the falcon is generally rep- 
resented with bells on the legs, but it is necessary to men- 
tion in the blazon the bells and their tincture. It is always 
supposed to be close unless the attitude is mentioned in the 
blazon. Where the falcon is described && jested and belled, 
the jesses are represented as hanging loose. 
Ferre owtt in yone mountane graye, 
Thomas, myfawkon byggis a neste; 
Afawcoun is an eglis praye ; 
Forthi in na place may he reste. 
Thomas of Ersseldwme (Child's ISallads, I. 108). 
A king of the Mercians requested the same Winifred to 
send to him two falcons that had been trained to kill 
cranes. Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 83. 
I see Lombards pouring down from the mountain gates 
with falcons on their thumbs, ready to pounce on the pur- 
ple columbic. D. O. Mitchell, Wet Days. 
2. In ornith.: (a) One of the Falconidte. (b) 
One of the Falconince. (c) Specifically, a bird 
of the genus Falco. The species are numerous, and 
are found in nearly all parts of the world. One of the 
best-known and most nearly cosmopolitan is the peregrine 
falcon, Falco peregrinus, which has many varieties or sub- 
species, as the duck-hawk of North America, F. peregri- 
mis, var. anatum. (See cut under duck-hawk.) The ger- 
Gerfalcon (Falco syrfalco}. 
falcons are a race of boreal falcons, of large size and usu- 
ally of more or less white or light coloration. Most of 
the falcons have special English names, as taker, jugger, 
merlin, hobby, etc. See the phrases below. 
3. In falconry, a female falcon, as distinguished 
from the male, which is about a third smaller, 
and is known as a tercel, tiercel, or tiercelet. See 
haggard. 
For ther lias [was not] neuer yet no man on lyve 
If that I coude & faucon wel discryve 
That herde of swich another of fairuesse, 
As wel of plumage as of gentillesse 
Of shap. Chaucer, Squire's Tale, 1. 416. 
A falcon, tow'ring ill her pride of place, 
Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd. 
Shak., Macbeth, ii. 4. 
4. A kind of cannon in use in the sixteenth cen- 
tury. It is said to have had a bore of two and a half 
inches and to have carried a shot of two pounds weight. 
The French regulations of Henry II. fix the weight of the 
shot at one pound one ounce poids du roi(not quite one 
and a quarter pounds English). 
The port of Mecca, neere vnto which are 6 or 7 Turks 
upon the old towers for guard thereof with foure/ofco;w 
vpon one of the corners of the city to the land-ward. 
Hakluijt's Voyages, II. 211. 
Aplomado falcon. Same as femoral faleim. Axillary 
falcon, an Australian kite of the genus Elanus, E. axil- 
laris, having the axillary feathers or lining of the wings 
white and black. Latham, 1801. Barbary falcon, Fal- 
co barbarus, a true falcon of small size, about 13} inches 
long, inhabiting parts of Africa and Asia. Originally mis- 
spelled barberry. Albin, 1740. Behree falcon, one of 
many names of the common peregrine, Falco pereirrinu*. 
Latham, 1787. Bengal falcon, one of the tiny finch-fal- 
cons, Microhterax candescent, of India. Black-necked 
falcon, a South American hawk, BiaarellK* <i/WiVW*. 
falcon-bill 
Lathntii, 1787. Blue falcon, the peregrine, Falco pere- 
;///'/< UK : so called from the dark-bluish color of the upper 
parts of the adult. Ceylonese crested falcon, spi^f 
IK ,t fin-hntitx, a crusted lutuk of (Vyloii and parts of India. 
Chanting- falcon, ^" African Iia\vk, JfmWiMMMnu, 
said to utter imisieal notes. See #i tunny-hawk. Latham, 
1802. Cheela falcon, a very large hawk of tlie Hima- 
layas, ^jiiloriti* ch'-'di, Latham, 1787. See cheela'2. 
Chicquera falcon, the common Indian Falco chicqttera, 
a small falcon from 1H to 13 inches long, with a chest- 
nut head and neck. Also called fatn-iatud falcon* Gohy 
falcon, a fah-opern, Baza lophntrt, of India, Ceylon, and 
Malarra. Criard falcon, a kite of the genus Elanim 
(which see), E. eve rule ug, of a bluish-gray color above, 
about 13 inches long, with ashy-white tail, inhabiting Af- 
rica and warm parts of Europe and Asia. Dubious fal- 
COIlfthe common sharp-shinned hawk of the United States, 
Accipitcr fttttt-itx : an old book-name. Pennant, 1785. 
Dusky falcon, an old book-name of the common Amer- 
ican pigeon -hawk, Falco (Hi/ftotnoi'chix) colinnbarittx. 
Pennant, 1785. Eleonora falcon, Falco (firiithnpjHtx) 
eleonorce, one of the smaller falcons,! nhabi ting the Mediter- 
ranean region. Fair falcon, Aattif novce-hollandice, an 
Australian goshawk, from 16 to 20 inches long, and, when 
adult, snow-white, with yellow cere and feet, black bill, and 
carmine eyes. Also called New Holland white eagle. La- 
tham, 1801. Fasciated falcon. Same as chicquera fal- 
con. Latham, 1801. Femoral falcon, a small true falcon, 
Falco fimco-caerulewmt or F. femoralis, found from the 
Mexican borders of the United States southward through 
much of South America. It is from i:iA to 15 inches long, 
and has the femoral region conspicuously colored. Also 
called plutnbeous falcon and Aplomado falcon. Flnch- 
falcon,"iir of the very small Oriental falcons of the genus 
Microhierax, not larger than a finch or sparrow. Gentil or 
gentle falcon. BameM/otom-ffmlfe. Great northern 
falcons, the several species or varieties of gerfalcons con- 
stituting the genus or subgenus Hierofalco. Greenland 
falcon, the whitest of the gerfalcons, Falco (Hierofalco) 
candicttng. Iceland falcon, a kind of gerfalcon, Falco 
(Hierofalco) islandicus, chiefly found in Iceland, where 
its peculiarities become best developed. More fully called 
gpotted Iceland falcon, Inglian falcon. Same as red- 
footed falcon. Lathant, 1781. Kite-falcon, a falcopern 
(which see); a bird of the genus Baza or of Avicida. 
Labrador falcon, a very dark-colored, almost blackish, 
variety of gerfalcon found in Labrador, and named Falco 
labradorius by Audnbou. Lanner falcon. See lannfr. 
Leverian falcon, the young of the common red-tailed buz- 
zard of the United States, Buteo borealis : so named by Pen- 
nant in 1785 from a specimen in the Leverian Museum. 
Little rusty-crowned falcon, a book-name of the com- 
mon American sparrow-hawk, Falco (Tinnuncvlun) spar- 
veriiu. See gparrow-hawk. Lugger or luggur falcon. 
Same as juyyer. Lunated falcon, Falco feftufeftu,* 
small true falcon of Australia, from "J l '. to 1 :: I inches long. 
Latham, 1801. Madagascar falcon, Polyboraide* radia- 
tug, a large silver -gray hawk with bare lores, peculiar to 
Madagascar. New-Zealand falcon, Harpa or Hieraci- 
dea novce-zealandice. Latham, 1781. Notched falcon, a 
South American falcon, Harpaguxbidentatus, with doubly 
toothed bill and crestless head. Latham, 17&7. Order 
Of the White Falcon, an order founded by the puke of 
Saxe- Weimar in 1732, and renewed in 1815. It is still in ex- 
istence, and consists of three classes, numbering, exclusive 
of the family of the reigning grand duke, 12 grand crosses, 
25 commanders, and 50 knights. The badge is an 8-pointed 
cross in green enamel, having between each two arms a 
point in red enamel, and borne upon the whole, in relief, 
a falcon in white enamel. On the reverse are the words 
" L'ordre de la Vigilance " and a trophy or other emblem, 
which differs for the civil and the military knight ; also the 
motto " VigUando awsendimw." The ribbon is dark-red 
or ponceau. Also called Order of Vigilance. Pere- 
grine falcon. See peregrine, ?*. Placentia falcon. 
Same as St. John's falcon : so called from the large dark 
spot on the belly. Plumbeous falcon. () A South 
American hawk, Asturina nitida. Latham, 1787. (6) 
Same as femoral falcon. Prairie -falcon, Falco mexica- 
nus or F. polyatrrus, a large tine falcon common on the 
prairies of the Western States and Territories from British 
America into Mexico, representing in America the group 
of lanners of the old world. It is about as large as the 
duck-hawk or peregrine, but much lighter and grayer in 
color, and with the under parts longitudinally streaked at 
all ages. Radiated falcon, an Australian hawk, Uro- 
gpizian radiatug. Latham, 1801. Red-footed falcon. 
Falco (Tinnitwulus) vespertiniis or ritjipes, a small true 
falcon with red legs, related to the sparrow-hawk of the 
United States, found in Europe, occasionally in Great Brit- 
ain, and in many parts of Asia and Africa. Also called 
Inririan falcon. Red-shouldered falcon, the adult 
red-shouldered buzzard, Buteo lineatux. Pennant, 1785. 
Rock-falcon. Same as stone-falcon. Rufous-headed 
falcon, a South American hawk, Heterospizias meridio- 
nalis. Latham, 1787. St. Domingo falcon, a West In- 
dian variety of the common sparrow-hawk of the United 
States, sometimes called Falco or Tinnuncuhis or Cerch- 
neis dominiceniris. Latham, 1781. St. John's falcon, a 
blackish variety of the rough-legged buzzard, Archibuteo 
lagopim, var. sancti-johannis : 
so called from a locality in 
Newfoundland. Latham, 1781. 
Also called placentia falcon. 
Stone-falcon, the merlin, Fal- 
co cesalon. Also called rock-fal- 
con, and formerly Falco lithofal- 
co. Streaked falcon, a South 
American hawk, Crufritinga 
melanops. Latham, 1787. 
Tawny-headed falcon, the 
African Falco ruficollis. proba- 
bly only a variety of the chic- 
quera falcon. Winter falcon, 
the young of the common r^d- 
shouldered buzzard of the Unit- 
ed States, Buteo lineatux. Pen- 
nant, 1785. Zuggun falcon, 
an Oriental hawk, Bvta#tur 
teem. Latham, 1821. See teesa. 
falcon-Mil (fa'kn-bil), n. FJ 
A form of martel-de-fer, baMobUterfrue*.-] 
