Standard Lemma guide

buzzard

name · noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbʌzəd/
  • General-American: /ˈbʌzɚd/
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈbɐzəd/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Northern-England: /ˈbʊzəd/
  • Scotland: /ˈbʌzəɾd/
  • CMU ARPABET: B AH1 Z ER0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname from Old French.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any scavenging bird, such as the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus) or the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

In North America, a curmudgeonly or cantankerous man; an old person; a mean, greedy person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial, derogatory, slang

Qualifier: often preceded by "old"; the "old buzzard"; often preceded by "old"; the "old buzzard"

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A blockhead; a dunce.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

Examples

  • 1640, George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum; or, Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, etc., in The Remains of that Sweet Singer of the Temple George Herbert, London: Pickering, 1841, p. 142, An old man’s shadow is better than a young buzzard’s sword.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Synonym of double bogey.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: golf, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: double bogey

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A fighter plane.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, World-War-I, slang

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

The insignia of a colonel, or a petty officer within the navy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, dated, slang

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A military discharge (due to the military discharge certificate).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, slang

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A bastard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: euphemistic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

the common European short-winged hawk

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Buteo buteo

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hawk

12

noun

Meaning 12

a New World vulture that is common in South America and Central America and the southern United States

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: turkey buzzard, turkey vulture, Cathartes aura

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: New World vulture, cathartid

History

Etymology

From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”).

Across languages

Translations

104 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: hutë — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Arabic: حَوَام (ḥawām) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Armenian: լալկան բազե (lalkan baze) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Basque: zapelatz — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Belarusian: каня (kanja) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Breton: baou — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Bulgarian: мишелов (mišelov) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Catalan: aligot — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Catalan: aguilot — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Cherokee: ᏑᎵ (suli) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鵟 /𫛭 (kuáng) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Choctaw: sheki — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Czech: káně — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Danish: musvåge — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Dutch: buizerd — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Esperanto: buteo — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Estonian: hiireviu — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Faroese: músvákur — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Finnish: hiirihaukka — bird of the genus Buteo
  • French: buse — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Louisiana French: carencro — bird of the genus Buteo
  • West-Frisian: mûzefalk — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Friulian: cagne — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Friulian: poiane — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Galician: miñato — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Galician: bexato — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Galician: buxardo — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Galician: buzaco — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Georgian: კაკაჩა (ḳaḳača) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • German: Bussard — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Greek: γερακίνα (gerakína) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Ancient Greek: τριόρχης (triórkhēs) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Hebrew: עַקָּב ('aqáv) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Hungarian: ölyv — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Icelandic: músvákur — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Indonesian: sikep — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Irish: clamhán — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Italian: poiana — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Japanese: 鵟 (nosuri) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Kazakh: жамансары (jamansary) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Kazakh: ақсары (aqsary) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Khmer: ត្មាត (tmaat) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Korean: 말똥가리 (malttonggari) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Ladin: gabinel — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Latin: būteō — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Latvian: klijāns — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Lithuanian: suopis — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Macedonian: јастреб глувчар (jastreb gluvčar) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Maltese: kuċċarda prima — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Nahuatl: caxtīllān cuāuhtohtli — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Norwegian: musvåk — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Norwegian Bokmål: våk — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: våk — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Occitan: tartana — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Old English: tysċa — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Persian: سارگپه (sârgape) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Polish: myszołów — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Portuguese: águia-de-asa-redonda — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Portuguese: milhafre — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Romani: worolo — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Romani: worla — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Romanian: șoricar — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Romansh: girun — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Russian: каню́к (kanjúk) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Russian: сары́ч (sarýč) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Northern Sami: sáhpánboaimmáš — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Northern Sami: sáhpánfálli — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Sardinian: stori furapuddas — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Sardinian: tappàiu — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Sardinian: pilloni farrancau — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Scottish Gaelic: clamhan — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Scottish Gaelic: àrmhaigh — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Serbo-Croatian: ми̏ша̄р — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Serbo-Croatian: шка́њац — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Serbo-Croatian: mȉšār — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Serbo-Croatian: škánjac — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Slovak: myšiak lesný — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Slovene: kanja — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Lower Sorbian: pašturlica — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Upper Sorbian: pašturlica — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Upper Sorbian: paskulica — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Spanish: águila ratonera — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Spanish: ratonero común — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Spanish: busardo — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Spanish: aguilucho — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Swedish: ormvråk — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Tagalog: buharo — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Tarifit: asiwan — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Turkish: şahin — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Ukrainian: каню́к (kanjúk) — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Venetan: pója — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Volapük: busar — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Welsh: boncath — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Welsh: bwncath — bird of the genus Buteo
  • Isthmus Zapotec: nguʼxhiʼ — bird of the genus Buteo
  • French: sale bougre — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • French: sale bougresse — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • German: alter Gauner — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • German: alte Gaunerin — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • Macedonian: де́де (déde) — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • Polish: piernik — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • Polish: zgred — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • Russian: хрыч (xryč) — slang or derogatory term for a person
  • Vietnamese: ó — slang or derogatory term for a person
Real reading context

buzzard in complete knowledge articles