owl
Pronunciation: /aʊl/
noun
- a nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes, a facial disc, a hooked beak, and typically a loud hooting call.
- Order Strigiformes: families Strigidae ( typical owls such as tawny owls and eagle owls) and Tytonidae ( barn owls and their relatives)
- informal a person who habitually goes to bed late and feels energetic in the evening. Often contrasted with lark1.
Origin:
Old English ūle, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch uil and German Eule, from a base imitative of the bird's call