Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Penguin
Pen′guin
(pĕn′gwĭn)
, Noun.
[Perh. orig. the name of another bird, and fr. W.
pen
head + gwyn
white; or perh. from a native South American name.] 1.
(Zool.)
Any bird of the order
Impennes
, or Ptilopteri
. They are covered with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin
, under Jackass
. ☞ Penguins are found in the south temperate and antarctic regions. The king penguins (
Aptenodytes Patachonica
, and Aptenodytes longirostris
) are the largest; the jackass penguins (Spheniscus
) and the rock hoppers (Catarractes
) congregate in large numbers at their breeding grounds. 2.
(Bot.)
The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (
Bromelia Pinguin
) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has rigid, pointed, and spiny-toothed leaves, and is used for hedges. [Written also
pinguin
.] Webster 1828 Edition
Penguin
PEN'GUIN
,Noun.
1.
A genus of fowls of the order of Palmipeds. The penguin is an aquatic fowl with very short legs, with four toes, three of which are webbed; the body is clothed with short feathers, set as compactly as the scales of a fish; the wings are small like fins, and covered with short scale-like feathers, so that they are useless in flight. Penguins seldom go on shore, except in the season of breeding, when they burrow like rabbits. On land they stand erect; they are tame and may be driven like a flock of sheep. In water they swim with rapidity, being assisted by their wings. These fowls are found only in the southern latitudes.2.
A species of fruit.Definition 2024
penguin
penguin
English
An Adelie Penguin
Noun
penguin (plural penguins)
- Any of several flightless sea birds, of order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere; marked by their usual upright stance, walking on short legs, and (generally) their stark black and white plumage. [from 16th c.]
- 1638, Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels, I:
- Here are also birds cal'd Pen-gwins (white-head in Welch) like Pigmies walking upright, their finns or wings hanging very orderly downe like sleeves [...].
- 1638, Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels, I:
- (slang) A nun (because of the black and white habit).
- (juggling) A type of catch where the palm of the hand is facing towards the leg with the arm stretched downward, resembling the flipper of a penguin.
- A spiny bromeliad with egg-shaped fleshy fruit, Bromelia pinguin.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
flightless sea bird
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References
- ↑ T.F. Hoad, Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, ISBN 978-0-19-283098-2; headword penguin