auk

[ awk ]

noun
  1. any of several usually black-and-white diving birds of the family Alcidae, of northern seas, having webbed feet and small wings.

Origin of auk

1
1665–75; <Scandinavian; compare Old Norse alka

Words Nearby auk

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How to use auk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for auk

auk

/ (ɔːk) /


noun
  1. any of various diving birds of the family Alcidae of northern oceans having a heavy body, short tail, narrow wings, and a black-and-white plumage: order Charadriiformes: See also great auk, razorbill auk

  2. little auk or dovekie a small short-billed auk, Plautus alle, abundant in Arctic regions

Origin of auk

1
C17: from Old Norse ālka; related to Swedish alka, Danish alke

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