dovekie

or dove·key

[duhv-kee]

noun

a small, short-billed, black and white auk, Alle alle, of northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

British. the black guillemot.

Origin of dovekie

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dovekie

Historical Examples of dovekie

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
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
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
The Dovekie builds a simple nest usually in the crevices of rocky cliffs bordering the sea coast.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 4 [April 1901]
Various

British Dictionary definitions for dovekie

dovekie

dovekey

noun

another name for the little aukSee auk

Word Origin for 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