owl
part of speech
noun (an owl, owls)
meaning for a pupil
1) An owl is a bird with a big round face, large forward-facing eyes and a hooked beak that usually hunts small animals at night. tree →
2) Calling a person a «night owl» means they like to stay up late. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: It is named among the unclean birds that Israelites may not eat. Interpretation: The law of clean and unclean animals is read as training in holiness and self-control, and the list of forbidden birds includes several kinds of owl. In the primary lessons: In science, owls are birds of prey (raptors) and most are nocturnal; they have soft feathers for silent flight, very good hearing, and can turn their heads a long way round. Owls swallow prey whole and cough up pellets of fur and bones, which classes dissect to learn about food chains. In stories owls often stand for wisdom (the wise old owl) or deliver letters (Harry Potter). Phrases: «barn owl», «tawny owl», «snowy owl», «night owl», «owl pellet».
examples
- and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture; (Torah LEV.11.18, JPS 1917) tree →
- and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl; (Torah LEV.11.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl; (Torah DEU.14.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl of the waste places. (Writings PSA.102.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- But the pelican and the bittern shall possess it, and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein; and He shall stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness. (Prophets ISA.34.11, JPS 1917) tree →
- An owl hooted in the woods at night. tree →
- Owls can turn their heads a long way round. tree →
- The barn owl flew silently over the field. tree →
- We pulled apart owl pellets and found tiny mouse bones. tree →
- Owls hunt mice, voles and insects. tree →
- My sister is a night owl and reads until midnight. tree →
- In the story, the wise old owl helped the animals. tree →
- The snowy owl is white like snow. tree →
- The Owl always takes her sleep during the day. tree →
note
Countable: «an owl» (vowel sound, so «an»). Baby owls are «owlets». Myth: owls cannot turn their heads all the way round (360 degrees); they can turn about three quarters of the way. Myth: owls are not really «wiser» than other birds. Not all owls hunt only at night.
In the corpora
- and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl;
- and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture;
- the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl;
- I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl of the waste places.
- Owl wing feathers have comb-like front edges, soft fringes and a velvety surface that muffle the sound of flying.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «owl» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.