great auk

noun

1. a large, flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, of rocky islands off North Atlantic coasts: extinct since 1844.

great auk

noun

1. a large flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, extinct since the middle of the 19th century

Word History and Origins

Origin of great auk¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

The Hall of Extinction and Hope analogizes manmade climate change and habitat destruction to a slow-moving asteroid that has already obliterated species such as the passenger pigeon, dodo and great auk.

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Many sights described in his vivid prose can no longer be seen, like the great auk, which the naturalist mistakenly called a penguin.

Read more on Washington Post

In the past, researchers have speculated that environmental change topped off by human greed took down the great auk.

Read more on New York Times

By about 1850, the great auk was extinct; the last two known specimens were hunted down by fishermen on Eldey Island, off the coast of Iceland.

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I named it Auk I, after the great auk, an extinct bird that couldn’t fly.

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