Meanings
noungoshawk (plural goshawks)
plural goshawks
- Any of several birds of prey, principally in the genus Accipiter.
But you heed me no more than a goss-hawk minds a yellow yoldring.
1820, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in The Abbot. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 43
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishgōshafoc“goose hawk”
- Middle Englishgoshauk
- Englishgoshawk
Inherited from Middle English goshauk, from Old English gōshafoc (“goose hawk”), from gōs (“goose”) and hafoc (“hawk”). Compare also Old Norse gáshaukr and Late Middle English gosling. The bird gets its name from the fact that the birds of the species are hawks that were alleged to prey on geese.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بَاز, بَازِيّ
- بَاز (bāz)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- بَازِيّ (bāziyy)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Bulgarian я́стреб кокошкар
- я́стреб кокошкар (jástreb kokoškar)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Catalan astor
- astorbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Chinese Mandarin 蒼鷹 /苍鹰
- 蒼鷹 /苍鹰 (cāngyīng)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Czech jestřáb
- jestřábbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Danish duehøg
- duehøgbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Dutch havik
- havikbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Esperanto akcipitro
- akcipitrobird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Estonian kanakull
- kanakullbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Finnish kanahaukka
- kanahaukkabird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
French autour
- autourbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
German Habicht
- Habichtbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Greek διπλοσάινο
- διπλοσάινο (diplosáino)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Hungarian héja
- héjabird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Icelandic gáshaukur
- gáshaukurbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Indonesian elang-alap
- elang-alapbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Irish spioróg mhór
- spioróg mhórbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Italian astore
- astorebird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Japanese オオタカ
- オオタカ (ōtaka)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Latin Accipiter gentilis
- Accipiter gentilisbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Latvian vistu vanags
- vistu vanagsbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Lithuanian vištvanagis
- vištvanagisbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Norwegian hønsehauk
- hønsehaukbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Polish jastrząb
- jastrząbbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Portuguese açor
- açorbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Romanian uliu
- uliubird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Russian тетеревя́тник, я́стреб-тетеревя́тник
- тетеревя́тник (teterevjátnik)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- я́стреб-тетеревя́тник (jástreb-teterevjátnik)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- большо́й я́стреб (bolʹšój jástreb)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Scottish Gaelic glas-sheabhag, seabhag-riabhach
- glas-sheabhagbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- seabhag-riabhachbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- seabhag-mhórbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- gos-sheabhagbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Slovak jastrab lesný
- jastrab lesnýbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Spanish azor
- azorbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Swedish duvhök
- duvhökbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Turkish çakır
- çakırbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Ukrainian я́струб вели́кий, тетерев’я́тник
- я́струб вели́кий (jástrub velýkyj)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
- тетерев’я́тник (teterevʺjátnyk)bird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Welsh gwalch marth
- gwalch marthbird of prey principally in the genus Accipiter
Cite this entry
APA
goshawk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goshawk
MLA
“goshawk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goshawk. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “goshawk,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/goshawk.
Source: goshawk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.