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

Example Sentences

“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

Below, Herzog talks about his own spirit animal, the necessities he brings into the field and the penguin from one of his movies that recently turned into a meme.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

When the research team applied population models to the data, the results showed that puma predation alone was unlikely to drive the Monte Leon penguin colony to extinction.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

With more ice rain forecast, the German Weather Service meanwhile has advised pedestrians to keep safe by wearing non-slip shoes and adopting a "penguin walk" with small steps.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Mr. Popper promptly put Captain Cook back inside and shut the door again, to be sure that the penguin learned his lesson.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater