vulture

Borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-Norman vultur, from Old French voutoir, voutre, from Latin vultur, voltur.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvʌltʃə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvʌlt͡ʃɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌltʃə(ɹ)

vulture (plural vultures)

1. Any of several carrion-eating birds of the families Accipitridae and Cathartidae.
   • 1912, Flight‎:

     The outer third of the wing of a vulture consists of the wing tips. The inner two-thirds of the wing are cambered (when the wing is extended), and are concerned with lifting effort in unsoarable air and with lifting and tractive effort in soarable air.

   • 1982, Michael Bishop, No enemy but time:

     In clusters on the plain, like cowlless monks at matins, sat the vultures that had settled on the corpse of the hyena impaled by the female rhino […]

2. (figurative, colloquial) A person who profits from the suffering of others.

   Synonyms: ambulance chaser, vampire

   Within ten minutes of the accident, the vultures appeared and were organizing lawsuits.

vulture (third-person singular simple present vultures, present participle vulturing, simple past and past participle vultured)

1. (figurative, colloquial) To circle around one's target as if one were a vulture.

   Rudy vultured when asking the girl out.

vulture

1. (obsolete) ravenous; rapacious
   • 1593, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, London: Richard Field, , →OCLC:

     Whose vultur thought doth pitch the price so hie,
     That she will draw his lips rich treasure drie.

• vulture on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

vulture

1. ablative singular of vultur