noun
penguin
PEHNG-gwihn
noun
1
A flightless black-and-white seabird of the Southern Hemisphere that swims well and walks upright on short legs.
"The penguins waddled across the ice toward the water."
"Emperor penguins can dive hundreds of meters deep to hunt fish."
How to Use Penguin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA flightless, upright-walking seabird found mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
Common pairings
penguin colony
emperor penguin
Word Forms
penguins plural
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The _____ waddled across the ice toward the water.
Etymology
Origin uncertain; the word first described the great auk of the Northern Hemisphere before being applied to the unrelated Southern Hemisphere birds we call penguins today.