falcon-bill 
distinguished by its slightly curved and sharp 
point. 
falconelle (fal-ko-nel'), 11, Same as falconet, 2. 
falconer (fa'kn-te), . [Spelling altered as in 
falcon; early mod. ^.fauconcr,faulconer; < ME. 
faitconer,faub&ner,fau;coner,etc.,<. OF.faulcon- 
nier, F. fiiiiroitiiier = Vv.fali-oiiier = OSp. ful- 
conero = Sp. lialconcro = Pg. falcoeiro It. 
falconiere = D. valkenier = MHO. viilkener, (i. 
falkner = Dan. falkeneer = Sw.falkener, < ML. 
falooiutrius, a falconer, < LL. falco(n-), a fal- 
con: see falcon.'} A person who breeds and 
trains hawks for taking game ; also, one who 
follows the sport of fowling with hawks. 
Hee is much delighted with pleasures of the field, fur 
which iu Graicia and Natolia he hath forty thousand Fal- 
coiu'rs ; his Hunts-men are not much fewer. 
1'nrclitu, Pilgrimage, p. 290. 
The person who had the care of the hawks is denomi- 
nated the falconer, but never I believe the hawker. 
Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 28. 
falconet (fal'ko-net), n. [< OF. "falconet, 'fau- 
conet (= It. falconetto ; of. ML. falconeta, a 
small cannon), equiv. to OF. fauconnel, faulco- 
neaii, F. fauconneau, a young falcon, a piece 
of ordnance, dim. of faucon, a falcon: see fal- 
con."} 1. A little falcon ; specifically, inornith., 
a finch-falcon of the Oriental genus lerax, 
Hierax, or Microhierax, which contains tiny fal- 
cons about six inches long, such as M. ccerules- 
cens. 2. A shrike of the genus Falcunculits. 
Also falconelle. 3f. A kind of cannon in use in 
the sixteenth century. It is stated to have had a 
bore of two inches and to have carried a shot of one and a 
half pounds weight. The standard fixed by Henry II. of 
France fixes the weight of the shot at 14 ounces poids du 
roi. 
Mahomet sent janizaries and nimble footmen with cer- 
tain falconets and other small pieces, to take the streights. 
Knolles, Hisl. Turks. 
falcon-eyed (fa'kn-Id), a. Having eyes like a 
falcon's ; having bright and keen eyes. 
A quick brunette, well-moulded, falcon-eyed. 
Tennyson, Princess, ii. 
falcon-gentle (f&'kn-jen'tl), . [Also written 
falcon-gentil ; < OF. faulcon gentil: gentil, gen- 
tle, i. e., noble.] The female and young of the 
European goshawk, Astur palumbarius. Also 
gentil or gentle falcon and cryer. 
falcon-heronert, . [ME. ] A falcon trained to 
fly at the heron. 
No gentil hautein falcon-heroneer. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1120. 
Falconidae(fal-kon'i-de),!.pZ. P$Ij.,<Falco(n-) 
+ -id(e.} The most highly organized and rapto- 
rial family of diurnal birds of prey, it is now usu- 
ally held to cover nearly all diurnal birds of prey, and to 
be nearly conterminous with the suborder Accipitres, con- 
taining the old-world (not the new- world) vultures, as well 
as all kinds of hawka, falcons, buzzards, eagles, etc., ex- 
cept, usually, the secretary-birds and the ospreys or fish- 
hawks. The vultures or carrion -feeding birds of prey of 
the old world were formerly excluded from the limits 
of this family, but are now brought under it. The char- 
acters of the group are nearly the same as those of the 
suborder Accipitres. The family is variously subdivided, 
a usual division being into Falconince, falcons ; Polybo- 
rince, caracaras ; Circiiue, harriers ; Accipitrince, hawks ; 
Milvintv, kites ; Buteoninve, buzzard-hawks ; and Vultu- 
riiue, old-world vultures, when these are brought under 
Falconidce. But there is seldom any agreement among 
ornithologists in this matter. 
Falconinae (fal-ko-ui'ne), . pi. [NL., < Fal- 
co(-) + -ime.} The typical and most raptorial 
subfamily of Falconidte, containing the falcons 
proper. It Is characterized by having the scapular pro- 
cess of the coracoid extended to the clavicle, the upper 
mandible dentate, the lower mandible notched, the nasal 
tubercle centric, the eye protected by a superciliary shield, 
the whole organization robust and symmetrical, and the 
disposition rapacious in the highest degree. The birds 
used in falconry belong mostly to this subfamily. See 
cuts under dmk-hawk and falcon. 
falconine (fal'ko-nin), a. and n. I. a. Of or 
pertaining to the Falconidce, and especially to 
the Falconince. 
II. n. A falcon, or other hawk of the family 
Falconidce; in a more restricted sense, of the 
subfamily Falconince alone. Coues. 
falconingt, n. [Early mod. E. faulkning; (fal- 
con + -ing 1 .} Hawking ; falconry. Florio. 
falconry (fa'kn-ri), n. [Formerly faulconry, 
faulconrie, fauconry ; ME. form not found; < 
OF. faulconnerie, F. fituconnerie (= It. falcone- 
ria), < ML. falconeria, < LL. falco(n-), a falcon: 
see falcon and -ry.} 1. The art of training fal- 
cons to attack wild fowl or game. 
Wee find in faulconrie sixteen hawkes or fowls that 
prey. Holland, tr. of Pliny, x. 8. 
2. The sport of pursuing wild fowl or game by 
means of falcons or hawks. Commonly called 
hawking. 
2125 
falcon-shaped (fa'kn-shapt), a. Having a form 
somewhat resembling a bird of prey: said of 
certain objects of ornamental art, as a brooch : 
a favorite pattern in Scandinavian art in the 
early middle ages. 
falcon-shott (fa'kn-shot), H. The range of the 
gun called a falcon. See falcon, 4. 
Well, said the admiral, the matter is not great, for 
there can be no danger in this sally, for where they worke 
it is wiiliinfatcon-shot of the ships. 
llak/ui/t's Voyages, III. 714. 
falcopern (fal'ko-pern), H. [< L. Falco, q. v., 
-I- I'ernis, q. v.] ' One of a group of hawks, such 
as Falco lopltotes, forming the modern genus 
Basa, having the head crested and the beak 
doubly toothed ; a kite-falcon. 
falcula (fal'ku-la), n. [L., a small sickle, a 
pruning-hook, a claw, dim. of falx (falc-), a 
sickle: see falcate.} 1. [cop.] [NL.] A genus 
of small falcons: same as Tinnunculus. Hodg- 
son, 1837. 2. PLfu/cula- (-le). A lengthened, 
compressed, curved, and acute claw; a falcate 
or falciform claw, as a cat's. 
Falculatat (fal-ku-la'ta), n. pi. [NL., < I,, fal- 
cula, a claw : see falcula.} In Illiger's classi- 
fication of mammals (1811), the twelfth order, 
containing 4 families of quadrupeds with claws, 
now forming the order Insectivora and the sub- 
order Fissipedia of the order Ferce. These families 
were Siibterranea (containing the insectivores), Planti- 
ffrada, Sanguinaria, and Gracilia (together including the 
flssiped carnivores). 
falculate(fal'ku-lat),a. [< falcula + -ate.} Hav- 
ing the form of a falcula ; falcate or falciform. 
Falculia (fal-ku'li-a), . [NL., < L. falcula, a 
small sickle, a pruning-hook, a claw: see fal- 
cula.} A remarkable genus of Madagascan 
passerine birds, the type and only known spe- 
cies of which is F.palliata, of uncertain system- 
atic position, commonly referred to the 1'ara- 
diseida;, and sometimes to the Corrida;, where it 
probably belongs. The bird is black and white 
in color and about 9^ inches long. Isidore Geof- 
froy St. Hilaire, 1836. 
fald'if, n. and v. An obsolete form otfold 1 . 
fald 2 t, n. An obsolete form otfoldZ. 
faldaget (fal'daj), n. [ML. (Eng. Law "L.)fal- 
dagium : Spelman gives an AS. "faldgang, mean- 
ing the same asfaldage (lit. a fold-going) ; Som- 
ner, *fald-gang-i>enig, equiv. to f aid-fee, q. v. See 
faldsoke, faldworth. These are old law words, 
not found in ME. or AS. literature.] 1. An 
old seigniorial right under which the lord of a 
manor required a tenant's sheep to pasture on 
his fields as a means of manuring the land, he 
in turn being bound to provide a fold for the 
sheep. 2. A customary fee paid by a tenant 
to the lord of a manor for exemption from this 
obligation. Also called fa Id-fee. 
Also foldage. 
falderall (fal'de-ral), n. A Scotch form of fol- 
derol. 
Gin ye dinna tie him till a job that he canna get quat o', 
he'll flee f rae ae falderall till anither a' the days o' his life. 
Hogg, Tales, I. 9. 
faldetta (fal-det'a), n. [It.] An outer gar- 
ment worn by Maltese women, usually made 
of silk. See the extracts. 
The black silk/aMettnof Maltese ladies, the long white 
muslin veil of Genoa, and the white muslin hoods worn by 
females in other parts of Italy, etc., will recur to every 
traveller. Rock, Church of our Fathers, III. i. 164, note. 
The faldetta is a combination of hood and cape. 
C. D. Warner, Roundabout Journey, p. 132. 
fald-feet (fald'fe), n. [< HE. fold, fold (see/aW- 
aqe), + fee.} Same asfaldage, 2. 
faldingt (fal'ding), n. [ME.; origin uncer- 
tain.] A kind of frieze or rough-napped cloth, 
supplied probably from the north of Europe. 
Falerno 
In a gownc <f fahl'tii'i to the kne. 
Chaucer, (Jen. Prul. toC. T., 1. WL 
faldistort, faldistoryt (fal'dis-tor, -to-ri), . 
[< ISLi.fauUetoriim, var. otfaldettoUvm, a fald- 
stool: see faldstool.} Same as faldstool. 
faldsoket, . [ME. "faldnoke (UL.faldsoca), < 
fald, E./oM 2 , + sake, sokcn.} Same &sfaldagc. 
faldstool (fald'stol), n. [Partly accom. (the E. 
form would be *fold-stool) < ()Y.f<ildcstoel,faude- 
xtuel, faudestueill ; < tfLi.J'Hl'lixloliiiiii, corruptly 
faldistorium, fit It/uteri urn (>It. Sp. Pg.falilistorio 
= OF. faldes'tocl, fuudestucl,faii(lentveiU, faude- 
stcnil, faldestor, etc., F.fauteuil, an arm-chair), 
< OHG. t'altstuol,faldistdl, G.faltsti<M,falzstuhl, 
lit. a folding stool, < OHG./a/d, G.fallen = E. 
fold?, v., + stuol, stol, G. stuJil, a chair, seat, 
throne, = E. stool."} 1 . Formerly, a folding chair 
similar to a camp-stool, especially one used as a 
seat of honor and an ensign of authority, prob- 
ably having this character from the ease with 
which such a seat could be carried with an army 
on the march, and could be set up when requir- 
ed. Hence 2. A seat having the form of the 
above, but not capable of being folded, in some 
cases the faldstool could be taken to pieces, the back and 
arms lifting off and the lower part then folding up; but 
very commonly seats of this form were made of heavy 
pieces of wood and were not separable. 
3. A folding stool, provided with a cushion, on 
which worshipers kneel during certain acts of 
devotion ; especially, such a stool placed at the 
south side of the altar, at which the kings or 
queens of England kneel at their coronation. 
On the wall are fixed plates of brass, whereon is engraved 
the figure of a judge in his robes, kneeling at a faldstool. 
Ashmolt, Berkshire, i. 10. 
The Dean of Westminster then laid the ampulla and 
spoon upon the altar, and the Queen kneeling at the fald- 
stool, the archbishop, standing on the north side of the al- 
tar, pronounced a prayer or blessing over her. 
First Year of a Silken Reign, p. 252. 
4. A movable folding seat in a church or cathe- 
dral, used by a bishop or other prelate when 
officiating in his own church away from the 
throne, or in a church not under his jurisdic- 
tion. 
They [deacons to be ordained] knelt in the form of a 
crown or circle around the bishop, whom they found seated 
on a faldstool and wearing his mitre in front of the altar. 
R. W. Dixon, Hist. Church of Eng., xvii. 
5. A small desk in cathedrals, churches, etc., 
at which the 
litany is en- 
joined to be 
sung or said. 
It is sometimes 
called a litany- 
stool or litany- 
dexk, and when 
used it is gener- 
ally placed in 
the middle of 
the choir, some- 
times near the 
steps of the 
altar. 
faldwortht, 
. [Skinner, 
after Spel- 
ssr* & 
wurth, explaining it as < AS. "falde" \_fald}, 
fold, hence company or decuria, + "worth" 
(weorth), worthy, that is, one old enough to be 
admitted to the decuria or tithing. Somner 
gives an AS. *faldwurt!i, entitled to (worthy of) 
the privilege of faldage (libertate faldagii dig- 
mis). Not found in AS. documents. See fald- 
age.} In old law, a person old enough to be 
reckoned a member of a decennary, and so be- 
come subject to the rule or law of frank-pledge. 
Falernian (fa-ler'ni-an), a. and . [< L. Fa- 
lernus, pertaining to a district (Falernus ager) 
in Campania (Falernum, sc. vinum, Falernian 
wine), prob., like Faliscus (for *Falesici<s), an 
adj. associated with the local, orig. tribal, name 
Falerii (see Faliscan), perhaps orig. inhabitants 
of a walled or fenced city, < fala, a scaffold or 
pillar of wood.] I. a. Pertaining to a district 
(Falernus ager) in Campania, Italy, anciently 
noted for its excellent wine. 
II. n. The wine anciently made from grapes 
from the Falernus ager. 
Ne'er Falernian threw a richer 
Light upon Lucullus' tables. 
Longfelloiv, Drinking Song. 
Falemo (fa-ler'no), n. [It., < L. Falernus: see 
Falernian.] A white wine, more or less sweet, 
grown in the neighborhood of Naples. Although 
the name is that of the ancient Falernian, it makes no pre- 
tense to be the same wine or to come from the same dis- 
trict. 
