cormorant

American  

[kawr-mer-uhnt] / ˈkɔr mər ənt /

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.

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cormorant British  

/ 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)

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Etymology

Origin of cormorant

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

Explanation

A cormorant is a bird that lives near the ocean and dives for fish. You can recognize cormorants by their long necks and dark color. Cormorants live in coastal areas and use their sharp bills to catch fish. They look similar to ducks or seagulls when they float on the water, but when they hunt for fish, cormorants dive completely under water and disappear from the surface for several seconds. In Old French, the word for this bird was cormarenc, from the Late Latin corvus marinus, or "sea raven."

Example Sentences

I corresponded with an inn on Cormorant Island, but the manager later sent me an apologetic note informing me that our calendars were not aligned.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2022

The Royal Canadian Air Force said in a series of tweets that the CH-149 Cormorant helicopter was conducting “hovering maneuvers” at the Gander airport, which is next to the airbase.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2022

Soon Camp Cormorant, as they called it, had about 35 members.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2021

“Before meeting you, I did have some luck,” Bonomo says, explaining that he found waterbirds, including Surf Scoters, Red-throated Loons, Gadwalls, Hooded Mergansers and a Great Cormorant, earlier in the day.

From Scientific American • Sep. 15, 2021

For example, I discovered that the Illia Cloud had a windshield that was kind of the wrong height for me, and 1 didn’t like the dashboard arrangement of the Dodge Cormorant.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

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