PETREL

petrel

(noun) relatively small long-winged tube-nosed bird that flies far from land

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

petrel (plural petrels)

Any of various species of black, grey, or white seabirds in the order Procellariiformes.

Anagrams

• pelter

Source: Wiktionary


Pe"trel, n. Etym: [F. pétrel; a dim. of the name Peter, L. Petrus, Gr. John i.42); -- probably so called in allusion to St.Peter's walking on the sea. See Petrify.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any one of numerous species of longwinged sea birds belonging to the family Procellaridæ. The small petrels, or Mother Carey's chickens, belong to Oceanites, Oceanodroma, Procellaria, and several allied genera. Diving petrel, any bird of the genus Pelecanoides. They chiefly inhabit the southern hemisphere.

– Fulmar petrel, Giant petrel. See Fulmar.

– Pintado petrel, the Cape pigeon. See under Cape.

– Pintado petrel, any one of several small petrels, especially Procellaria pelagica, or Mother Carey's chicken, common on both sides of the Atlantic.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

23 December 2024

QUANDONG

(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The world’s most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet – a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.

coffee icon