petrel

[ pe-truhl ]

noun
  1. any of numerous tube-nosed seabirds of the families Procellariidae, Hydrobatidae, and Pelecanoididae.

Origin of petrel

1
1670–80; earlier pitteral, of uncertain origin; perhaps altered by association with St. Peter (who attempted to walk on the water of Lake Gennesareth), alluding to the bird's habit of flying close to the ocean surface

Words Nearby petrel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use petrel in a sentence

  • The petrel then took up position and shelled the fort with varying result, followed by the Raleigh.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • The Olympia hurled about 70 5-inch shells and 16 8-inch shells, and the petrel and the Raleigh about the same number each.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • On that date the American gunboat petrel and a large steam-launch suddenly appeared in Cebú harbour.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • Weary to death, Eric flung himself down, and slept deep and sound till the morning, on board the Stormy petrel.

    Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
  • A petrel it is, about the size of a house pigeon, and of a slate-blue colour.

    The Land of Fire | Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for petrel

petrel

/ (ˈpɛtrəl) /


noun
  1. any oceanic bird of the order Procellariiformes, having a hooked bill and tubular nostrils: includes albatrosses, storm petrels, and shearwaters: See also storm petrel

Origin of petrel

1
C17: variant of earlier pitteral, associated by folk etymology with St Peter, because the bird appears to walk on water

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