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Glite Dictionary
to seel

to seel

9.9
Sew a hawk's eyelids shut to make it blind for training
  • verb
  • /siːl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : coser los párpados
  • Before the competition, the trainer decided to seel the falcons to ensure they focused better.

Examples

  • To prevent distractions during the training session, the coach seeled the birds' eyes.

  • Come, seeling night.

    Macbeth (1971)

  • Come, seeling night.

    Macbeth (1971)

  • To prepare the hawks for training, the falconer will seel their eyelids shut.

Surface Forms

seel infinitive
sealed past
sealed past participle
seeling present participle
seels third person singular

Etymology

The word seel comes from older words meaning 'to close', and it was used in falconry for sewing a hawk's eyelids shut during training. A helpful way to remember it is to think of seel like seal — to 'close' — which explains why handlers would shut a bird's eyes to keep it calm.