giant petrel

[ jahy-uhnt pe-truhl ]

noun
  1. either of two large mottled gray or occasionally white petrels of the genus Macronectes, specifically the northern giant petrel and the southern giant petrel, inhabiting islands and coasts of the Southern Ocean and adjacent seas.

Words Nearby giant petrel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use giant petrel in a sentence

  • Blake and Hamilton went out early on a photographing excursion, and, later on, the latter shot and skinned a white giant petrel.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • I also sawbut beyond aima giant petrel; its dimensions were truly astonishing.

    An Antarctic Mystery | Jules Verne
  • Similarly, in the region of the south pole the albino form of the giant petrel (Ossifraga gigantea) becomes common.

    The Making of Species | Douglas Dewar