eagle [ME] Eagle comes from Old French aigle which came in turn from Latin aquila ‘eagle’ also the source of aquiline [M17th]—an aquiline nose is hooked like an eagle’s beak. Renowned for its keen sight and soaring flight, the eagle is considered the king of birds. The bald eagle is the emblem of the USA, and Eagle was the name of the lunar module during the first moon landing, on 20 July 1969. The phrase the Eagle has landed was said by astronaut Neil Armstrong on that day: ‘Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed.’ It was later used by Jack Higgins as the title of his 1975 thriller about an attempt to assassinate Winston Churchill. See also bird.