What's in a Name?: Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 1

There may not be an “i” in team, but there are a ton of great words in professional team names! Whether or not you're a sports fan, if you learn these words your vocabulary will be in competition condition.

For more, check out Name On: Pro Sports Team Names, Part 2
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. colt
    a young male horse under the age of four
    “Well, look here, then. Billy says the best way for you to be a good hand with horses is to raise a colt.” The Red Pony
    Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
  2. cardinal
    crested North American songbird having bright red plumage
    In addition to their red color, male cardinals sing more often and with more complicated tunes, both to declare their territory and to attract females. New York Times (Feb 9, 2019)
    St. Louis Cardinals (MLB) & Arizona Cardinals (NFL)
  3. falcon
    a diurnal bird of prey
    Safer looks at me like I’m nuts, “You’re joking, right? I’m not talking about a robbery. I’m talking about falcons or hawks—don’t they teach you about birds of prey at school?” Liar & Spy
    Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
  4. grizzly
    powerful brownish-yellow bear of western North America
    At Katmai, a park in southwestern Alaska known for its bountiful salmon runs and the huge grizzlies - Alaskans call them “brown bears” - that feed on them, Fat Bear Week is an annual highlight. Reuters (Oct 7, 2019)
    Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
  5. raptor
    a carnivorous bird that hunts other animals
    An authority on birds of prey, he established his bona fides as an adventurous wildlife filmmaker when he flew to British Guiana in 1955 to study the harpy eagle, one of the world’s largest raptors. Washington Post (May 9, 2019)
    Toronto Raptors (NBA)
  6. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
    A century after gray wolves were all but eradicated from Washington, the state is trying to encourage the return of the iconic predators, which normally hunt deer, elk and smaller wild animals. Los Angeles Times (Oct 23, 2019)
    Nashville Predators (NHL)
  7. ace
    a playing card in a deck having a single pip on its face
    After switching sides, Glenn served for the next game, and started off just as strongly as Reggie, with two aces. The Parker Inheritance
    Las Vegas Aces (WNBA)
  8. mystic
    someone who believes in realities beyond human comprehension
    She answered carefully: “Your vision is not the same as a fortune foretold by a traveling mystic. It is not a prediction of the future, Taisin.” Huntress
    Washington Mystics (WNBA)
  9. patriot
    one who loves and defends his or her country
    “This country is going places—Nkrumah is a real African patriot, and he wants his country to develop fast. The people walk proud and tall.” The New Yorker (Aug 11, 2019)
    New England Patriots (NFL)
  10. titan
    a person of exceptional importance and reputation
    There’s a famous group of powerful individuals with notoriously expansive global value chains: the titans of Silicon Valley. Salon (Sep 18, 2019)
    Tennessee Titans (NFL)
  11. buccaneer
    someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea
    In 1586, the Englishman Sir Francis Drake and his crew of 2,500 buccaneers raided the city, burning it to the ground. New York Times (Mar 7, 2019)
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
  12. national
    a person who owes allegiance to a country
    The FBI holds a press conference at the site, corroborating hearsay that a passport found at the crater belonged to Kamal Aziz, an Egyptian national. Love, Hate & Other Filters
    Washington (D.C.) Nationals (MLB)
  13. mariner
    a person who serves as a sailor
    The Atlantic voyages of European mariners to the Americas, India and the Spice Islands — now the Maluku Islands of Indonesia — demanded re-engineered ships and growing expertise in celestial navigation. Nature (Dec 18, 2018)
    Seattle Mariners (MLB)
  14. ranger
    an official responsible for managing an area of forest
    I begged the game ranger to let me move about the forests by myself. My Life with the Chimpanzees
    New York Rangers (NHL) & Texas Rangers (MLB)
  15. cavalier
    a gallant or courtly gentleman
    He was a true cavalier, with his fine embroidered coat, his commanding air, and the wealth of dark curb that flowed over his velvet collar. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
    Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
  16. maverick
    an unbranded range animal
    They branded mavericks, and the natural increase of their original find belonged to them also. Collins, Dennis
    Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
  17. warrior
    someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
    These warriors were the main body of fighters; they would wait in ambush. In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
    Golden State Warriors (NBA)
  18. clipper
    a fast sailing ship used in former times
    It celebrates the maritime heritage of Camden, once home to shipyards that produced clipper ships and coastal schooners. Washington Times (Aug 31, 2019)
    Los Angeles Clippers (NBA)
  19. capital
    a seat of government
    I correctly answered that Tokyo was the capital of Japan, Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia, Ottawa the capital of Canada, and Bogota the capital of Colombia. Out of My Mind
    Washington (D.C.) Capitals (NHL)
  20. senator
    a member of a legislative assembly
    In his role as a state senator, he hears a lot of complaints about windmills from his North Shore constituents. Scientific American (Sep 21, 2019)
    Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Created on Wed Oct 23 17:55:28 EDT 2019 (updated Sun Dec 15 11:17:18 EST 2019)

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