puffin

[ puhf-in ]

/ ˈpʌf ɪn /

noun

any of several alcidine sea birds of the genera Fratercula and Lunda, having a short neck and a large, compressed, grooved bill, as F. arctica (Atlantic puffin), of the North Atlantic.

Nearby words

puffball, puffbird, puffed-up, puffer, puffery, puffin, puffin crossing, puffy, pug, pug mill, pug nose

Origin of puffin

1300–50; Middle English poffoun, poffin, puffon (compare Anglo-Latin poffo, puffo); origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for puffin

For the adventurous, try the reindeer or puffin; for those feeling fishy, go for arctic char or the array of sushi.
Gal With a Suitcase|Jolie Hunt|November 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Puffin was always well received at The Warren; he amused the squire by the seriousness of his arguments about trifling things.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills
But, before our next club meeting, Messrs. Gasper and Puffin had retired.
Humorous Readings and Recitations|Various
Mr. Puffin did wonders with the small material at his command.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills

Fin'ly dey begins to slow down and den stops and massa gits out and de hosses am puffin' hard and all foam.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves.|Work Projects Administration
A name given in the Hebrides to the coulter-neb, or puffin (Fratercula arctica).
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth

British Dictionary definitions for puffin

puffin

/ (ˈpʌfɪn) /

noun

any of various northern diving birds of the family Alcidae (auks, etc), esp Fratercula arctica (common or Atlantic puffin), having a black-and-white plumage and a brightly coloured vertically flattened bill: order Charadriiformes

Word Origin for puffin

C14: perhaps of Cornish origin

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