storm petrel

or storm-pet·rel

See more synonyms for storm petrel on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of several small, tube-nosed seabirds of the family Hydrobatidae, usually having black or sooty-brown plumage with a white rump.

Compare stormy petrel.

Origin of storm petrel

First recorded in 1795–1805

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for storm petrel

harbinger, omen, rebel, raven

Examples from the Web for storm petrel

Historical Examples of storm petrel

Like the puffin and the storm-petrel, razor-bills rarely leave the sea except for breeding.
The Isles of Scilly
Jessie Mothersole

British Dictionary definitions for storm petrel

storm petrel

noun

any small petrel, such as the northern Hydrobates pelagicus, of the family Hydrobatidae, typically having a dark plumage with paler underpartsAlso called: Mother Carey's chicken, stormy petrel

Word Origin for storm petrel

C19: so named because it was thought to be a harbinger of rough weather

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