What does peregrine mean?
Peregrine can be a noun for a peregrine falcon, the large falcon recognized by its dark hood, pointed wings, and remarkable speed. It can also function as an adjective describing something that wanders or travels from place to place, especially a journey, person, or way of life. In the noun sense, peregrine usually refers to the peregrine falcon, a species found on every continent except Antarctica and famous for its steep hunting dive. In the adjective sense, the word is more literary and carries a sense of movement, distance, and departure from a settled home. Its historical meaning “foreign” is still preserved in related words such as pilgrim and peregrination, which trace back to Latin ideas of travel beyond one’s own territory. Although the everyday use of peregrine as a noun is relatively specialized, the word is widely recognized through its association with one of the fastest birds of prey.
A peregrine is a peregrine falcon, a large bird of prey with a widespread distribution and exceptional diving speed.
"The peregrine returned to the same cliff to nest the following spring."
Peregrine means wandering, migratory, or traveling from place to place.
"They followed a peregrine route across the northern plains."
The plural is used for multiple peregrine falcons or, more generally, multiple people or things associated with the word.
"Bird watchers observed two peregrines hunting above the estuary."
The peregrine falcon can reach extraordinary speed during its hunting dive, making it one of nature's most formidable aerial predators.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does peregrine come from?
The word comes through Old French peregrin from Latin peregrinus, meaning “foreign” or “from abroad.” The Latin root is related to peregre, “from afar,” and underlies words such as pilgrim, pilgrimage, peregrinate, and peregrination. The noun meaning “falcon” developed because the peregrine falcon is a widespread, roaming species; the adjective retains the older sense of traveling or being from elsewhere.
Related word forms
How peregrine is actually used
As a noun, peregrine is a standard term for the peregrine falcon. As an adjective, it is literary and somewhat uncommon, conveying movement across places or regions; the species adjective is usually written as “peregrine falcon.”