tern

¹ American  

[turn] / tɜrn /

noun

1. any of numerous aquatic birds of the subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae, related to the gulls but usually having a more slender body and bill, smaller feet, a long, deeply forked tail, and a more graceful flight, especially those of the genus Sterna, as S. hirundo common tern, of Eurasia and America, having white, black, and gray plumage.

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tern ² American  

[turn] / tɜrn /

noun

1. a set of three.

2. three winning numbers drawn together in a lottery.

3. a prize won by drawing these.

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tern ¹ British  

/ tɜːn /

noun

1. a three-masted schooner

2. rare a group of three

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tern ² British  

/ tɜːn /

noun

1. any aquatic bird of the subfamily Sterninae, having a forked tail, long narrow wings, a pointed bill, and a typically black-and-white plumage: family Laridae (gulls, etc), order Charadriiformes

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Etymology

Origin of tern¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from Danish terne or Norwegian terna; cognate with Old Norse therna

Origin of tern²

1300–50; Middle English terne < Middle French < Italian terno < Latin ternus, singular of ternī three each, triad, akin to ter thrice; see three

Explanation

A tern is a small seabird with a long tail. Most terns are white or light gray, and they're found on every single continent. Many terns are migratory, flying thousands of miles every year—in fact, Arctic terns may fly as many as 43,000 miles during their annual migration. Terns are a type of gull, with a small, slender body, forked tail, and narrow wings. The Old English word for this type of bird was stearn, and the roots of tern can be traced back to a Scandinavian source.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tern

Laboratory testing confirmed the disease had infected a greater crested tern in the town of Robe, South Australia.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

You may see the California least tern, a protected bird that summers on SoCal beaches and then heads south to Mexico and Central America for the winter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024

The new entries include the Arctic tern, known for its incredible migration, the giant skua, or pirate of the sea, and two types of gull.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2024

We know this because the virus sequence in the tern retained all mammal-adaptation mutations.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2024

Another tern passed overhead, then another, and another.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• vessel
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