any of several short-winged hawks of the genus Circus that hunt over meadows and marshes and prey on reptiles and small birds and mammals.
(initial capital letter) Military. a one- or two-seat British-American fighter, both an attack and a reconnaissance aircraft, featuring a turbofan engine with a directable thrust that enables it to land and take off vertically.
marsh harrier See also Montagu's harrier any diurnal bird of prey of the genus Circus, having broad wings and long legs and tail and typically preying on small terrestrial animals: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc)
a smallish breed of hound used originally for hare-hunting
a cross-country runner
[C16: from hare + -er1; influenced by harrier1]
a British subsonic multipurpose military jet plane capable of vertical takeoff and landing by means of vectoring the engine thrust
1542, from M.E. hayrer "small hunting dog" (1408), possibly from M.Fr. errier "wanderer," or associated with hare, which they would have hunted. The hawk genus (1556) is from harry (q.v.), which is also a candidate for the source of the dog name.