common murre

noun

variants or chiefly British common guillemot
: a black-and-white seabird (Uria aalge) of northern seas having a thin, long, straight bill
The common murre is a black-and-white seabird that, when it stands erect on shore, resembles a penguin. The female lays her single egg on the ledge of a cliff; the egg is pear shaped so that if it rolls, it rolls in a circle instead of off the edge of the cliff.Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Natural History, January 1991

Word History

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of common murre was in 1784

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Cite this Entry

“Common murre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/common%20murre. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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