Question

volant adjective English picked up "volant" from Middle French. The term survives in Modern French as well, both as an adjective having essentially the same meaning as the English term, and as a noun with several meanings (among them "shuttlecock"). The influence of French can be seen doubly in the heraldic sense of "volant": in heraldic contexts, as in our first example sentence above, the adjective "volant" almost always appears after the noun - a syntax picked up from French along with the meaning. Ultimately, "volant" comes from the Latin verb "volare," meaning "to fly." Another word that came to English through Middle French from "volare" is "volley," which refers to things flying back and forth through the air. 1 : having the wings extended as if in flight - used of a heraldic bird2 : flying or capable of flying3 : quick, nimble

Accepted Answer

July 3, 2012 VOH-lunt One prominent feature of the family's crest is a hawk volant.  "In general, population genetic studies of volant animals are of particular interest because of their potential for long-distance dispersal and high levels of gene flow over terrestrial and oceanic landscapes." - From the 2012 book Evolutionary History of Bats: Fossils, Molecules and Morphology, by Gregg F. Gunnell and Nancy B. Simmons

Word	volant
Date	July 3, 2012
Type	adjective
Syllables	VOH-lunt
Etymology	English picked up "volant" from Middle French. The term survives in Modern French as well, both as an adjective having essentially the same meaning as the English term, and as a noun with several meanings (among them "shuttlecock"). The influence of French can be seen doubly in the heraldic sense of "volant": in heraldic contexts, as in our first example sentence above, the adjective "volant" almost always appears after the noun - a syntax picked up from French along with the meaning. Ultimately, "volant" comes from the Latin verb "volare," meaning "to fly." Another word that came to English through Middle French from "volare" is "volley," which refers to things flying back and forth through the air.
Examples	One prominent feature of the family's crest is a hawk volant. "In general, population genetic studies of volant animals are of particular interest because of their potential for long-distance dispersal and high levels of gene flow over terrestrial and oceanic landscapes." - From the 2012 book Evolutionary History of Bats: Fossils, Molecules and Morphology, by Gregg F. Gunnell and Nancy B. Simmons
Definition	1 : having the wings extended as if in flight - used of a heraldic bird 2 : flying or capable of flying 3 : quick, nimble

French Adjective English Volant Heraldic Flying Picked Middle