cormorant

[ kawr-mer-uhnt ]

/ ˈkɔr mər ənt /

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noun

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.

a greedy person.

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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

Words nearby cormorant

Corliss, corm, Cormack, cormel, cormophyte, cormorant, corn, cornaceous, cornball, corn beef, Corn Belt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use cormorant in a sentence

When we see cormorants and other marine birds that nest like that, one next to the other — it’s almost like that.
The largest group of nesting fish ever found lives beneath Antarctic ice|Jake Buehler|January 13, 2022|Science News
Once practiced in ancient Egypt and elsewhere around the world, cormorant fishing now survives mostly in China and Japan, where the world’s most famous cormorant fishery, on Gifu prefecture’s Nagara River, has continued uninterrupted for 1,300 years.
10 ways people hunt and fish without bullets or hooks|Steven Hill/Field & Stream|October 4, 2021|Popular-Science
So when domoic acid incidents became more common in the 2000s—more brown pelicans, more cormorants, and even sea-lions—dots throughout history started to connect.
Here’s the real story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’|Tom McNamara|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
Most of the Cormorant's time is spent in fishing, for he lives entirely on fish, and catches immense numbers of them.
On the Seashore|R. Cadwallader Smith

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

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)

Word Origin for cormorant

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

cormorant

Origin of cormorant

Words nearby cormorant

Words related to cormorant

How to use cormorant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cormorant

Word Origin for cormorant