sea swallow

American  

noun

1. any of several terns, especially Sterna hirundo.

2. British Dialect. any of several small petrels, especially the storm petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus.

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sea swallow British  

noun

1. a popular name for tern 1

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Etymology

Origin of sea swallow

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Or would it rather evacuate and abandon them, letting the sea swallow the remains of their homes?

From Washington Post • Sep. 2, 2022

She knew where the white sea swallow nested.

From Her Father's Daughter by Stratton-Porter, Gene

One of the finest being the swift sea swallow, with its lovely grey feathers, forked tail, and long graceful wings.

From Jethou or Crusoe Life in the Channel Isles by Suffling, Ernest R. (Ernest Richard)

Linda was watching a sea swallow now, and slowly her lean fingers were gathering handfuls of sand and sifting them into a little pyramid she was heaping beside her.

From Her Father's Daughter by Stratton-Porter, Gene

Any moment the ice may crumble beneath our feet and the sea swallow up the entire party.

From The Romance of Polar Exploration Interesting Descriptions of Arctic and Antarctic Adventure from the Earliest Time to the Voyage of the ?Discovery? by Scott, G. Firth