: a small short-billed auk (Alle alle) breeding on arctic coasts and ranging south in winter
Examples of dovekie in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebSightings from Race Point in Provincetown included 2 Pacific loons, 11 red-necked grebes, 2 pomarine jaegers, a dovekie, 34 common murres, 425 razorbills, a black guillemot, 2 great shearwaters, 145 black-legged kittiwakes, 3 Iceland gulls, and a snowy owl.—BostonGlobe.com, 30 Dec. 2020 For now, the dovekie population is thriving, producing just as many healthy chicks as before.—Thor Hanson, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2021 Miscellaneous: Reports included a dovekie at Cuttyhunk Island.—BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2021 At Andrew’s Point in Rockport, sightings included a Pacific loon and a dovekie.—BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2019 Richards confirms that monkfish can prey on small birds called dovekies, and the biggest could indeed snatch a goose.—Rachel Ellner, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dovekie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Scots, "the black guillemot (Cepphus grylle)," from dovedove entry 1 + -kie, double diminutive suffix (from -k, -ick, -ock-ock + -ie-ie); allegedly so called from the dove-like bond between nesting pairs
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