Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

tiercel

noun
tier·​cel | \ˈtir-səl \
variants: or \ ˈtər-​səl \

Definition of tiercel 

: a male hawk especially : a male peregrine falcon

First Known Use of tiercel

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for tiercel

Middle English tercel, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *tertiolus, from diminutive of Latin tertius third; probably from the fact that the male is about one third smaller than the female

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about tiercel

Dictionary Entries near tiercel

tierce

tierced

tierce de Picardie

tiercel

tierceron

tiercet

tiered

Statistics for tiercel

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for tiercel

The first known use of tiercel was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

More from Merriam-Webster on tiercel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tiercel

Comments on tiercel

What made you want to look up tiercel? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

chapel

a private place of worship

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Difficult Vocab Quiz

  • the-education-of-achilles-eugne-delacroix
  • Which is a synonym of discomfit?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games