penguin

[ peng-gwin, pen- ]

/ ˈpɛŋ gwɪn, ˈpɛn- /

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noun Ornithology.

any of several flightless, aquatic birds of the family Spheniscidae, of the Southern Hemisphere, having webbed feet and wings reduced to flippers.

Obsolete. great auk.

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Origin of penguin

1570–80; origin uncertain; perhaps <Welsh pen gwyn literally, white head (referring to the great auk in its winter plumage); later misapplied to the Spheniscidae

Words nearby penguin

pen friend, Peng Dehuai, Penghu, pengö, Pengpu, penguin, penholder, -penia, penicil, penicillamine, penicillate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penguin in a sentence

Take a volunteer vacation to help rear baby penguins hatched from abandoned eggs that have been brought to the center.
Your Guide for When Travel Returns|Daniel Malloy|December 27, 2020|Ozy
A case in point would be the Gentoo penguins and Chinstrap penguins.
The Greening of Antarctica - Issue 90: Something Green|Marissa Grunes|October 7, 2020|Nautilus
The Gentoo penguins will be doing great, and the Adèlies will largely be gone.
The Greening of Antarctica - Issue 90: Something Green|Marissa Grunes|October 7, 2020|Nautilus
Zitterbart’s team recently discovered which conditions cause penguins to huddle, and they are investigating the possibility that the penguins’ mathematical behavior may reveal secrets about colony health over time.
Math of the Penguins|Susan D'Agostino|August 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine

“Instead of weighing each individual penguin, it’s as if we’re weighing 25,000 penguins at the same time,” he said.
Math of the Penguins|Susan D'Agostino|August 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Reprinted by arrangement with The Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This species of penguin was showered with positive coverage throughout the 20th century by a supposedly vigilant press.
Lovable ‘Madagascar’ Penguins Are Known to Rape and Torture in Real Life|Asawin Suebsaeng|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The adjudication of the Daily Beast office was clear and emphatic: penguin, penguin, penguin.
How Monty The Penguin Won Christmas: Britain’s Epic, Emotional Commercials|Tim Teeman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The boy feels rejected and confused, and then hits on a Christmas morning solution, delivering a penguin mate for his penguin.
How Monty The Penguin Won Christmas: Britain’s Epic, Emotional Commercials|Tim Teeman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the northern faces of the ridges, fronting the ice-foot, large, yellowish patches mark the sites of penguin rookeries.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
The first penguin came waddling up the ice-foot against a seventy-mile wind late on the afternoon of October 12.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
On the 21st an Emperor penguin landed on the harbour ice, and, early in November, two more were captured.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
An Adelie penguin, skiing on its breast from the north, surprised us suddenly by a loud croak at the rear of the sledge.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
A bay opened to the east of Penguin Point, from which the coast trended to the south-east.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for penguin

penguin

/ (ˈpɛŋɡwɪn) /

noun

any flightless marine bird, such as Aptenodytes patagonica (king penguin) and Pygoscelis adeliae (Adélie penguin), of the order Sphenisciformes of cool southern, esp Antarctic, regions: they have wings modified as flippers, webbed feet, and feathers lacking barbsSee also emperor penguin, king penguin

an obsolete name for great auk

Word Origin for penguin

C16: perhaps from Welsh pen gwyn, from pen head + gwyn white

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