great auk

great auk
noun
large flightless auk of rocky islands off northern Atlantic coasts; extinct
• Syn: ↑Pinguinus impennis
• Hypernyms: ↑auk
• Member Holonyms: ↑Pinguinus, ↑genus Pinguinus

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noun
: a large flightless auk (Pinguinus impennis) two or two and a half feet long but with very small wings and formerly abundant on the coasts of the northern parts of the No. Atlantic but now extinct

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a large, flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, of rocky islands off North Atlantic coasts: extinct since 1844.
[1820-30]

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great auk
A large, flightless auk, the garefowl (extinct c.1844)
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Main Entry: ↑auk
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great auk noun
A large, flightless auk once common in N Atlantic areas, now extinct
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Main Entry: ↑great

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great auk,
a large, black-and-white, flightless sea bird formerly of North Atlantic shores, now extinct; garefowl.

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n. a large, extinct, flightless auk of the North Atlantic, resembling a giant razorbill. The great auk was the original "penguin"; many were taken for food, and the last individuals were killed on an islet off Iceland in 1844. ● Alca (or Pinguinus) impennis, family Alcidae

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ˌgreat ˈauk 7 [great auk] noun
a large bird similar to a ↑penguin, that no longer exists

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • great auk — great′ auk′ n. orn a large flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, of rocky islands off N Atlantic coasts: extinct since 1844 …   From formal English to slang

  • great auk — n. a large, flightless auk (Pinguinus impennis) of the N Atlantic, extinct since 1844 …   English World dictionary

  • Great Auk — Taxobox name = Great Auk status = EX extinct = 1852. The last specimen was sighted in Newfoundland. status system = iucn3.1 image width = 200px image caption = Breeding (standing) and nonbreeding (swimming) plumage. By John Gerrard Keulemans.… …   Wikipedia

  • great auk — a large, flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, of rocky islands off North Atlantic coasts: extinct since 1844. [1820 30] * * * Flightless seabird (Pinguinus impennis) extinct since 1844. Great auks bred in colonies on rocky islands off North… …   Universalium

  • great auk — noun Date: circa 1828 an extinct large flightless auk (Pinguinus impennis) formerly abundant along North Atlantic coasts …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • great auk — noun A large auk, Pinguinus impennis. Syn: garefowl …   Wiktionary

  • great auk — noun a large flightless auk of the North Atlantic, exterminated in the 19th century. [Alca impennis.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • great auk — /greɪt ˈɔk/ (say grayt awk) noun a large, flightless seabird, Pinguinus impennis, formerly abundant on the coasts of the northern Atlantic, but now extinct; garefowl …  

  • Auk — Auk, n. [Prov. E. alk; akin to Dan. alke, Icel. & Sw. alka.] (Zo[ o]l.) A name given to various species of arctic sea birds of the family {Alcid[ae]}. The great auk, now extinct, is {Alca impennis} (or {Plautus impennis}) . The razor billed auk… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • auk — /awk/, n. any of several usually black and white diving birds of the family Alcidae, of northern seas, having webbed feet and small wings. Cf. great auk, razor billed auk. [1665 75; < Scand; cf. ON alka] * * * In general, any of 22 species of… …   Universalium

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