vulturine

vulturine

English

Etymology

From Latin vulturinus (“vulture-like”).

Adjective

vulturine (comparative more vulturine, superlative most vulturine)

1. Pertaining to or having characteristics of vultures.
   • 1912, P. G. Wodehouse, The Prince and Betty, New York: W.J. Watt, Chapter 2, p. 10,

     Somewhat below the middle height, he was lean of body and vulturine of face.

   • 2004, Andrea Levy, Small Island, London: Review, Chapter Six, pp. 87-88,

     Taking the cooked bird in her gnarled hands she stripped off the flesh with the few teeth she still had left in her head, gnawing on it with a vulturine concentration until it was just grey bones.

2. Predaceous.
   • 1806, John Barrow, Travels into the Interior of Southern Africa, London: T. Cadell & W. Davies, Volume I, Chapter 2, p. 178,

     A species of crow in vast numbers is generally found to attend the larger kind of birds of prey. It is uncommonly bold and ravenous, and all its habits are vulturine […]

Synonyms

• vulturelike
• vulturish
• vulturous

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Latin

Adjective

vulturīne

1. vocative masculine singular of vulturīnus