Vulture comes from Anglo-Norman vultur, from Latin vultur ('vulture'), possibly related to vellere ('to pluck, tear'). In current use it is a noun meaning "a large carrion-eating bird of prey, or a person who preys on others' misfortune". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The uncertainty belongs to the etymology itself and should be kept: the older ancestry is not presented as more secure than it is. A central historical form is Latin vultur. Related English forms include vulturine. Derived forms include vulturine, vulturous, and vulturish. The safest dictionary treatment is to keep the secure forms and the uncertainty together, since the doubtful step is part of the word's history rather than a gap to fill by guesswork.