war hawk

English

Etymology

Late 18th c., often attributed to Virginian Congressman John Randolph of Roanoke, but no written evidence exists.[1] Popularized in debates concerning the War of 1812. Sense "eagle" probably a calque of Old English guþhafoc

Noun

war hawk (plural war hawks)

  1. (figurative) A proponent of war or military intrusiveness.
    Synonyms: hawk, warmonger
  2. (literary, dated) An eagle.

References
  1. Ralph E. Eshelman, Scott S. Sheads (2013) “Origin of “War Hawks””, in Chesapeake Legends and Lore from the War of 1812, Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN: “While Randolph is credited with having coined the phrase, there were several instances of the usage of the term in prewar newspaper articles, none attributed to Rudolph.”

Further reading
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