penguin

[ peng-gwin, pen- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Ornithology.

any of several flightless, aquatic birds of the family Spheniscidae, of the Southern Hemisphere, having webbed feet and wings reduced to flippers.
Obsolete. great auk.

penguin

/ ˈ��ɛŋɡ��ɪ�� /

noun

any flightless marine bird, such as Aptenodytes patagonica (king penguin) and Pygoscelis adeliae ( Adélie penguin ), of the order Sphenisciformes of cool southern, esp Antarctic, regions: they have wings modified as flippers, webbed feet, and feathers lacking barbs See also emperor penguin king penguin
an obsolete name for great auk

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Word History and Origins

Origin of penguin¹

1570–80; origin uncertain; perhaps < Welsh pen gwyn literally, white head (referring to the great auk in its winter plumage); later misapplied to the Spheniscidae

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Word History and Origins

Origin of penguin¹

C16: perhaps from Welsh pen gwyn, from pen head + gwyn white

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“Poor old penguins, I don’t know what they did to Trump,” Australian trade minister Don Farrell quipped to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

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But the country is still reeling from the latest one: emergency tariffs imposed on every country in the world, including islands inhabited primarily by penguins.

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An "unsecured" penguin in a cardboard box was the cause of a helicopter crash in South Africa, a report into the incident has found.

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Heard Island and McDonald Islands, populated by penguins and seals and also subject to the tariffs, offered no comment.

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The US Commerce Secretary has defended the country's decision to impose tariffs on a group of uninhabited islands, which are populated only by penguins and seals.

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Pengpu penholder

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