muttonbird
Britishnoun
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any of several shearwaters, having a dark plumage with greyish underparts, esp the sooty shearwater ( Puffinus griseus ) of New Zealand, which is collected for food by Māoris. It inhabits the Pacific Ocean and in summer nests in Australia and New Zealand
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any of various petrels esp the short tailed shearwater, Puffinus tenuirostris , which inhabits the Pacific Ocean and in summer nests in S Australia
Etymology
Origin of muttonbird
C19: so named because their cooked flesh is claimed to taste like mutton
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.
At Muttonbird Island, we saw the reef where Tom and Eva’s ship foundered.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
