This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
puffin
[ puhf-in ]
/ ˈpʌf ɪn /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of puffin
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English poffoun, poffin, puffon (compare Anglo-Latin poffo, puffo ); origin uncertain
Words nearby puffin
puffball, puffbird, puffed-up, puffer, puffery, puffin, puffin crossing, puff paste, puff pastry, puff piece, puff-puff
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use puffin in a sentence
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