petrel
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (1)
- relatively small long-winged tube-nosed bird that flies far from landType of pelagic bird, oceanic birdKinds giant petrel, white-chinned petrel, shearwater, storm petrel, fulmarMember of Procellariidae, family Procellariidae
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: F. pétrel; a dim. of the name Peter, L. Petrus, Gr. πέτρος a stone (John i. 42); — probably so called in allusion to St. Peter's walking on the sea. See Petrify.
Zoology 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.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54