Definition

1. Verb:
   • To sew shut the eyelids of (a hawk or falcon): This is the primary and historical meaning of the word. It refers to the practice in falconry of temporarily closing a bird of prey's eyes by stitching its eyelids together, often to calm it during training.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The falconer had to seel the young hawk's eyes to help it adjust to human presence.
  • In medieval times, it was common to seel a falcon before beginning its training.

Advanced Usage

• "Seel" is an archaic term almost exclusively used in the historical context of falconry. In modern English, it is obsolete and would not be used in everyday language. It is primarily encountered in historical texts or discussions about ancient practices.

Variants and Related Words

• Seeling (n): The act or practice of sewing a bird's eyelids shut.
  • Seeling was a standard technique in early falconry.
• Unseel (v): The historical opposite action; to open or unstitch the sewn eyelids.
  • After the training period, the falconer would unseel the bird's eyes.

Synonyms

• Sew shut (a more general, descriptive phrase).
• Close (in this very specific, historical context).

Related Phrases

• To hood a hawk/falcon: A more modern and common falconry practice involving placing a leather hood over the bird's head to calm it, which has largely replaced the practice of seeling.
  • Instead of seeling, most contemporary falconers prefer to hood the bird.

Verb

1. sew up the eyelids of hawks and falcons