shearwater

Etymology

From shear + water.

noun

  1. Any of the long-winged pelagic seabirds of the family Procellariidae in genera Puffinus, Ardenna, and Calonectris, that breed on islands and coastal cliffs.
    At first I would not eat a frigate bird, a booby or a shearwater, but after a few months on the island I tried one broiled over coconut-shell coals, and I have never since missed an opportunity for such a feast. 1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 53
  2. (by extension) Any of the entire family Procellariidae, including certain of the petrels.

Attribution / Disclaimer All definitions come directly from Wiktionary using the Wiktextract library. We do not edit or curate the definitions for any words, if you feel the definition listed is incorrect or offensive please suggest modifications directly to the source (wiktionary/shearwater), any changes made to the source will update on this page periodically.