guillemot

American  

[gil-uh-mot] / ˈgɪl əˌmɒt /

noun

1. a black or brown-speckled seabird of the genus Cepphus, of northern seas, having a sharply pointed black bill, red legs, and white wing patches, as C. grylle black guillemot, of the North Atlantic Ocean and the similar C. columba pigeon guillemot of the North Pacific Ocean.

2. British. a murre of the genus Uria.

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guillemot British  

/ ˈɡɪlɪˌmɒt /

noun

1. any northern oceanic diving bird of the genera Uria and Cepphus, having a black-and-white plumage and long narrow bill: family Alcidae (auks, etc), order Charadriiformes

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Etymology

Origin of guillemot

First recorded in 1670–80; from French, apparently diminutive of Guillaume “William”

Example Sentences

However, guillemot numbers have increased by 17% since 2016.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2021

Other birds impacted by drones flying too close to the Oregon islands include the common murre, pigeon guillemot, tufted puffin and two types of cormorants.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 2, 2021

In the years that followed, seabirds like the black guillemot started arriving earlier, laying eggs earlier and not surviving as well, he said, blaming warming.

From Washington Times • Jun. 19, 2018

In 2015, he published “The Nordic Cookbook,” an invaluable guide to the region’s cooking, from the braised guillemot of the Faroe Islands to the taco quiche of suburban Stockholm.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2017

A name of the foolish guillemot, Uria troile, in the north.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir