sea swallow

noun

1. any of several terns, especially Sterna hirundo.

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

sea swallow

noun

1. a popular name for tern 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of sea swallow¹

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

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

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We were looking for the birds – they are Arctic tern, or sea swallows.

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Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel?

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White and other petrels flew round us, with some gulls, and birds resembling sea swallows, with a forked tail.

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I wonder will ever we return, or will the great sea swallow us up?

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