Fauconier

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who breeds, trains, or hunts with falcons
2. an individual skilled in the practice of falconry and the care of these birds
3. one who engages in a sport that involves the pursuit of game using trained raptors

Etymology: The word is a French import. "Fauconnier" in Old French combines "faucon," meaning falcon, with the suffix "-ier," which marks someone who practises a trade or role. English took the same pattern, so the word names a person defined by a single job: keeping and flying hawks and falcons, a skill that was once a mark of rank among medieval nobles. English eventually settled on "falconer," but the two forms share a source. "Falcon" itself came into French from Latin "falco," and the modern English spelling with an "l" was restored later under Latin influence, even though the sound never had one. "Fauconier" keeps the French spelling, which is why it looks so different from the form most readers know today.

Synonyms: falconer, bird trainer