petrel

[ pe-truhl ]

noun
  1. any of numerous tube-nosed seabirds of the families Procellariidae, Hydrobatidae, and Pelecanoididae.

Origin of petrel

1
1670–80; earlier pitteral, of uncertain origin; perhaps altered by association with St. Peter (who attempted to walk on the water of Lake Gennesareth), alluding to the bird's habit of flying close to the ocean surface

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

How to use petrel in a sentence

  • At this same spot, large flocks of silver-grey petrels were seen resting on the ice and skimming the water in search of food.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • Birds innumerable appeared on every hand: snow petrels, silver petrels, Cape pigeons and Antarctic petrels.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • In isolated coveys on the inclined top of the "island" were several flocks, each containing hundreds of Antarctic petrels.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • Of these some were flat and others peaked, but all were thickly populated by penguins, petrels and seals.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
  • Giant petrels and skua gulls swarmed in flocks round the seals' and penguins' carcases.

    The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for petrel

petrel

/ (ˈpɛtrəl) /


noun
  1. any oceanic bird of the order Procellariiformes, having a hooked bill and tubular nostrils: includes albatrosses, storm petrels, and shearwaters: See also storm petrel

Origin of petrel

1
C17: variant of earlier pitteral, associated by folk etymology with St Peter, because the bird appears to walk on water

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012