condor

noun

con·​dor ˈkän-dər  -ˌdȯr 

1

a

: a very large American vulture (Vultur gryphus) of the high Andes having the head and neck bare and the plumage dull black with a downy white neck ruff and white patches on the wings

called also Andean condor

b

: california condor

2

plural condors or condores kən-ˈdȯr-ˌās  : a coin (such as the centesimo of Chile) bearing the picture of a condor

Examples of condor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Watch for condors: Spot one of the rarest birds in North America. —Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

The smaller, red-headed cousin of the California condor, the turkey vulture sports a wingspan of a mere 6 feet as opposed to the condor's nearly 10-foot spread. —Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2024

But condors raised by human caretakers have a lower chance of survival in the wild (hence the condor puppets that zookeepers used in the 1980s to prevent young birds from imprinting on human caregivers). —Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2024

This year, the zoo team was inspired to try three chicks per single condor. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish cóndor, from Quechua kuntur

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing condor

• Andean condor
• California condor

Kids Definition

condor

noun

con·​dor ˈkän-dər  -ˌdȯ(ə)r 

1

: a very large South American vulture of the high Andes having the head and neck bare and the plumage dull black with a ring of white down behind the head

2

: california condor