dovekie

or dove·key

[ duhv-kee ]

noun

a small, short-billed, black and white auk, Alle alle, of the North Atlantic and Artic Oceans.
British. the black guillemot.

Origin of dovekie

First recorded in 1815–25; dove¹ + -kie compound suffix (see -ock, -ie)

Words Nearby dovekie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dovekie in a sentence

The dovekie, or black guillemot (Uria grylle), breeds in great numbers in the Orkney islands.
Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847 | John Rae
A dovekie, in its white winter plumage, and two seals have been seen lately.
In the Arctic Seas | Francis Leopold McClintock
This little bird belongs to the family of auks and puffins, the guillemots and the dovekie.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 3 [March 1901] | Various
One distressed dovekie was picked up, but failed to survive.
Our Vanishing Wild Life | William T. Hornaday
The dovekie is sometimes called a little auk to distinguish it from the larger species of the family.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 4 [April 1901] | Various

British Dictionary definitions for dovekie

dovekie

dovekey

/ (ˈdʌvkɪ) /

noun

another name for the little auk: See auk

Origin of dovekie

C19: Scottish diminutive of dove 1

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

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