murrelet

American

[mur-lit] / ˈmɜr lɪt /

noun

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

murrelet British

/ 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

"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

Etymology

Origin of murrelet

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And yet, Muul’s experience researching the marbled murrelet caught my attention.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

The dove-sized marbled murrelet spends most of its time in coastal waters eating krill, other invertebrates and forage fish such as herring, anchovies, smelt and capelin.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2024

Steller's jays, crows and ravens are the main predators of murrelet nests.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2024

With no terrestrial predators to steal their eggs, these islands are breeding sanctuaries for ground- and cliff-nesting seabirds like the western gull, Scripps’s murrelet and the ashy storm petrel.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2023

Rock blasting, new construction and road building would not be allowed near murrelet habitat, with some exceptions.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023