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

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

From The Guardian

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

From Literature

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg