murrelet

[ mur-lit ]

/ ˈmɜr lɪt /

noun

any of several small, chunky diving birds of the family Alcidae, of North Pacific coasts.

Nearby words

murray, lindley, murray, philip, murray, sir james augustus henry, murre, murree, murrelet, murrey, murrhine, murrhine glass, murrow, murrow, edward r.

Origin of murrelet

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; murre + -let

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

British Dictionary definitions for murrelet

murrelet

/ (ˈmɜːlɪt) /

noun

any of several small diving birds of the genus Brachyramphus and related genera, similar and related to the auks: family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes

Word Origin for murrelet

C19: from murre + -let

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