raptorial
/ræp'tɔ:riəl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Living by preying on other animals, especially by catching living prey: Describes an animal, particularly a bird, that hunts and feeds on other animals.
- Relating to or characteristic of birds of prey: Pertaining to the physical features or behaviors typical of predatory birds.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The eagle's raptorial talons are perfectly adapted for gripping fish.
- Scientists study the raptorial instincts of hawks and falcons.
- The museum displayed the skeleton of a raptorial dinosaur.
Advanced Usage
- In Zoology/Ecology: Used technically to classify or describe predatory species and their adaptations.
- The paper discusses the raptorial forelimbs of mantises.
- Figurative Use (less common): Can describe a grasping, predatory, or intensely eager nature in a non-literal sense.
- He fixed the negotiator with a raptorial gaze.
Variants and Related Words
- Raptor (n): A bird of prey, such as an eagle, hawk, or owl.
- The sanctuary cares for injured raptors.
- Predatory (adj): Relating to or characterized by plundering, preying on others. (A broader synonym).
- Rapacious (adj): Aggressively greedy or predatory. (Often implies excessive greed).
Synonyms
- Predatory
- Carnivorous (specifically meat-eating, but not necessarily hunting live prey)
- Hunting
Antonyms
- Herbivorous
- Scavenging (feeding on dead animals, not typically catching live prey)
- Prey (n, as an attributive adjective: )
Related Phrases/Idioms
(Note: "Raptorial" itself is not commonly used in standard idioms. The related noun "raptor" is more frequent.) - Bird of prey: The common phrase for a raptorial bird. - Owls are nocturnal birds of prey.
Adjective
- living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
- a predatory bird
- the rapacious wolf
- raptorial birds
- ravening wolves
- a vulturine taste for offal
- relating to or characteristic of birds of prey
- raptorial claws and bill for seizing prey