cormorant

[ kawr-mer-uhnt ]
See synonyms for cormorant on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of several voracious, totipalmate seabirds of the family Phalacrocoracidae, as Phalacrocorax carbo, of America, Europe, and Asia, having a long neck and a distensible pouch under the bill for holding captured fish, used in China for catching fish.

  2. a greedy person.

Origin of cormorant

1
1300–50; Middle English cormera(u)nt<Middle French cormorant,Old French cormareng<Late Latin corvus marīnus sea-raven. See corbel, marine

Words Nearby cormorant

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

How to use cormorant in a sentence

  • This habit seems to show that the cormorant uses his wings, as well as his feet, in his frequent journeys under water.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
  • Sometimes the cormorant swims slowly along with his head under water, on the watch for small fish.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
  • The cormorant could not perform this feat, but his throat will stretch so as to allow the passage of large fish.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
  • In some countries there is a price on his head--that is, so much money is given for every cormorant killed.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith

British Dictionary definitions for cormorant

cormorant

/ (ˈkɔːmərənt) /


noun
  1. any aquatic bird of the family Phalacrocoracidae, of coastal and inland waters, having a dark plumage, a long neck and body, and a slender hooked beak: order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, etc)

Origin of cormorant

1
C13: from Old French cormareng, from corp raven, from Latin corvus + -mareng of the sea, from Latin mare sea

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