owl Meaning & Definition
What Does Owl Mean?
Owl is a symbol that means ISO 639-3 language code for Old Welsh. As a noun, it means Any of various birds of prey of the order Strigiformes, families Strigidae and Tytonidae, that are primarily nocturnal and have forward-looking, binocular vision, limited eye movement, and good hearing. As a verb, it means To smuggle contraband goods.
Word Facts for Owl
| Part of speech | symbol, noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /aʊl/ |
| Synonyms | bird of minerva and bird of night |
| Antonyms | lark |
| Plural | owls |
| Verb forms | owls, owling, owled |
Owl Definition (Symbol)
- ISO 639-3 language code for Old Welsh.
Owl as a Noun
- Any of various birds of prey of the order Strigiformes, families Strigidae and Tytonidae, that are primarily nocturnal and have forward-looking, binocular vision, limited eye movement, and good hearing.
- A person seen as having owl-like characteristics, especially appearing wise or serious, or being nocturnally active.
- An owl pigeon.
- A politician with moderate views that are neither hawkish nor dovish.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies, especially in the genus Caligo, having large eyespots on the wings.
- ↑ Derksen, Rick (2008), “*vъpiti”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden; Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 532
- ↑ Vladimir Orel, A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, s.vv. “*uwwalōn”, “*uwwǭ”, “*ūfaz ~ *ūfǭ” (Leiden: Brill, 2003), 436.
Owl as a Verb
- To smuggle contraband goods.
Noun
- Any of various birds of prey of the order Strigiformes that are primarily nocturnal and have forward-looking, binocular vision, limited eye movement, and good hearing.
- (by extension) A person seen as having owl-like characteristics, especially appearing wise or serious, or being nocturnally active.
- The owl pigeon.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies having large eyespots on the wings.
Synonyms of Owl
Antonyms of Owl
Word Forms & Grammar
owl (plural owls)
owl (third-person singular simple present owls, present participle owling, simple past and past participle owled)
Words That Rhyme With Owl
Origin of Owl
From Middle English howle, oul, oule, owle, owlle, from Old English ūle, from Proto-West Germanic *uwwulā, from Proto-Germanic *uwwulǭ (“owl”), diminutive of *uwwǭ (“eagle-owl”), of imitative origin or a variant of *ūfaz, *ūfǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *up- (“to cry out”).
Questions People Ask About Owl
Is owl a symbol or a noun?
Owl is mainly used as a symbol, but it can also be used as a noun and a verb.
What is another word for owl?
Close synonyms of owl are bird of minerva and bird of night. See the full list of owl synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of owl?
The opposite of owl is lark.
What is the plural of owl?
The plural of owl is owls.
What is the past tense of owl?
The past tense of owl is owled. The present participle is owling.