osprey

What it means

1. A bird of prey of genus Pandion that feeds on fish and has white underparts and long, narrow wings each ending in four finger-like extensions.

   1594, George Peele (attributed), The Battle of Alcazar I will provide thee of a princely osprey.

   2 more examples

   But (oh Jove!) your actions, / Soon as they move, as ospreys do the fish, / Subdue before they touch.

   1613–1614 (date written), John Fletcher, William Shak[e]speare, The Two Noble Kinsmen: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Waterson; […], published 1634, →OCLC, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

   A pair of ospreys bred at a confidential nesting site in Co. Fermanagh in what has been described as like finding long-lost treasure.

   2023 August 24, Mairead Sheehy, “'Like finding long-lost treasure': Ospreys breed in Ireland for first time in 200 years”, in Irish Examiner

2. Aigrette (ornamental feather).

In a sentence

1594, George Peele (attributed), The Battle of Alcazar I will provide thee of a princely osprey.

Where it comes from

1. Medieval Latinavis praedae“bird of prey”
2. Anglo-Normanospriet
3. Middle Englishospray
4. Englishosprey

From Late Middle English ospray, from Anglo-Norman ospriet, from Medieval Latin avis praedae (“bird of prey”), a generic term apparently confused with this specific bird in Old French on its similarity to ossifrage.