penguin

American  

[peng-gwin, pen-] / ˈpɛŋ gwɪn, ˈpɛn- /

noun

Ornithology.

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

2. Obsolete. great auk.

---

penguin British  

/ ˈpɛŋɡwɪn /

noun

1. 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 barbs See also emperor penguin king penguin

2. an obsolete name for great auk

---

Etymology

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

Explanation

What's black and white and loves to eat seafood? A penguin! Penguins are flightless water birds, and the only place in the Northern Hemisphere where you'll find wild penguins is on the Galápagos Islands. If you live north of the equator, your interactions with penguins are limited to zoos and aquariums. Penguins are distinctive because of their contrasting black-and-white coloring, their size, and the fact that they walk and swim but don't fly. Their wings have, in fact, evolved to act as flippers in the water. You might think of penguins as cold-weather birds, and many do live in Antarctica, but most are found in more temperate areas.

Example Sentences

"The new home will be designed with input from the wild penguin researcher to become a conservation research centre of excellence," it said.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

This penguin decay is incredibly rare in the Standard Model: for every million B mesons, only one will decay in this manner.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

A viewing gallery will show everything from penguin health checks to ultrasounds on pregnant aardvarks and even porpoise post-mortems - things never before seen publicly in the UK.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

“My kid comes home and she doesn’t tell me about her teacher, she doesn’t tell me about her classmates. She tells me about JiJi the penguin from her gamified learning app.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Their floe was soon dirty with blubber soot, dog droppings, sealskins, penguin heads, and other garbage, but the men all adjusted to a new set of standards without complaint.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong