owlbear

English

Etymology

From owl +‎ bear. Coined by Gary Gygax in the 1970s for Dungeons & Dragons.

Noun

owlbear (plural owlbears)

1. (fantasy) A monstrous creature resembling a bear with a beak.
   • 1997, Terence Fergusson, “Murphy's Laws of NetHack”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet):

     I don't usually survive long enough to get surrounded by owlbears […]

   • 2010, Maia Jacomus, Loki: Why I Began the End:

     He played stupid—he looked at my scars and feigned confusion as he dropped the kindling.
     “What happened?” he asked.
     “An owlbear attacked,” I answered wryly. He sat down with us, and between their powers, I started to heal.

Anagrams

• Barlowe, rowable