shearwater

[ sheer-waw-ter, -wot-er ]

/ ˈʃɪərˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

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noun

any of several long-winged petrels of the genus Puffinus that appear to shear the water with their wing tips when flying low.

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Origin of shearwater

First recorded in 1665–75; shear + water

Words nearby shearwater

shear strain, shear strength, shear stress, shear stud, shear transformation, shearwater, shear wave, shear zone, sheatfish, sheath, sheathbill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use shearwater in a sentence

After a while, a handful of shearwaters appear in the air above the Cat Balou.
The Whale Who Will Come Soon - Issue 105: Whale Songs|Rebecca Giggs|September 8, 2021|Nautilus
So, in order to understand what happened, first you need to know how a flock of birds—like thousands of shearwaters—fly and move together.
Here’s the real story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’|Tom McNamara|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
It is a similar bird to the Sooty Shearwater, but is considerably darker and the under coverts are whitish.
The Bird Book|Chester A. Reed
The common name, however, is retained and the species stands 95, Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus).
Color Key to North American Birds|Frank M. Chapman

The Great Shearwater is far less abundant than the preceding species, and may indeed be considered a rarity.
British Birds in their Haunts|Rev. C. A. Johns
The Great Shearwater differs little in habits, as far as they are known, from the other species.
British Birds in their Haunts|Rev. C. A. Johns
The Manx Shearwater comes next in size, but it is a dark-plumaged bird on the upper parts, only white below.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires|Charles Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for shearwater

shearwater

/ (ˈʃɪəˌwɔːtə) /

noun

any of several oceanic birds of the genera Puffinus, such as P. puffinus (Manx shearwater), Procellaria, etc, specialized for an aerial or aquatic existence: family Procellariidae, order Procellariiformes (petrels)

Word Origin for shearwater

C17: so named because their wings seem to clip the waves when they are flying low

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