murrelet

[mur-lit]

noun

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

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. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for murrelet

murrelet

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