What does the word "raptor" mean to you?

I think that in the UK nearly everybody would have thought ‘huh? What’s a raptor?’ Seems the robber meaning was first anyway; it was probably popular culture that changed that meaning, since that’s how such changes usually come about.

All of these.

Just not the sports team.

I voted F-22, but I know that they named it that because raptor is a bird of prey. So I guess it’s both - based on context.

Bird of prey, followed by a brand name of hard drives.

first thing I think of is a big-ass truck made by Ford.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think the word “raptor” is Jesus.

ETA: Holy smokes! Googling “Raptor Jesus” can return with some NSFW results.

In an internet context - dinosaur/Jurassic Park monster. I don’t think of them as different things.

In real life - bird of prey, which is what I voted, even though I encounter it on the net more than I do in real life.

I think of off-road vehicles, either Ford or Yamaha.

What was “trashy” about the film Jurassic Park? It was well-received by both critics & audiences and had some amazing special effects.

I *know *that the word “raptor” means bird-of-prey, but the immediate image that forms in my head when seeing that word is of the dinosaur.

Dinosaurs to me, too, and also soccer teams made up of seven-year-olds[sup]1[/sup].

[sup]1[/sup]For this meme to work, it has to be in America and it has to be called “soccer”.

I’m not sure if it is 2 or 3. I do think of the chicken-sized dinosaur, but it’s still really hard for me to think of it as having feathers. Plus, it’s because of Jurrasic Park that I don’t think of the bird first.

Definitely the dinosaur from Jurassic Park. I didn’t even know it had any other meanings.

Well, tough titties, man. Language changes. “Raptor” clearly has multiple meanings/usages. You personally think of “birds of prey” first. Others (especially in the past couple decades) don’t. So? Why do you think “velociraptor” as the first impression is somehow inferior?

I’d ask you why you think of birds of prey first when actually, “raptor” originally meant a robber or plunderer. And you don’t even have that option in your poll! If you’re going to play the intellectual/cultural torchbearer role, you probably should actually champion the original meaning instead of a newer meaning that just happens to be a bit older than the one you disparage.

I think of the F22 aircraft. Any time I think of the dinosaur, I just can’t shorten its name in my head. Was that the fault of Jurassic Park the film?

A solid majority of SDMB responders thinks of bird of prey first. I asked because I was curious; I wasn’t trying to start a debate about what it should be (although I have no problem with expressing a preference, hence the poll.)

I left it out because that definition is no longer in use at all and hasn’t been for a very long time.

The nickname given to Christopher Lee’s character in the charming, foodie/coming-of-age film* Feast At Midnight.*

You can even see the allusion towards the Jurassic Park reference in the one sheet.

I visited here for my bithday, so birds of prey are clearly more relevant to me than dinosaurs :smiley:

Bird of prey

The F-15 eagle, the F-16 fighting falcon,(aka lawn dart, viper), and the F-22 raptor, all named for birds of prey.

The F-14 on the other hand is named for an admiral.

Declan