great skua
Use Great skua in a sentenceDictionary.com Unabridged
ə Origin:
1670–80; < Faeroese skū(g)vur; cognate with Old Norse skūfr tassel, tuft, also skua (in poetry), akin to shove1
1670–80; < Faeroese skū(g)vur; cognate with Old Norse skūfr tassel, tuft, also skua (in poetry), akin to shove1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To great skua
00:10
Great skua
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
skua (ˈskjuːə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| any predatory gull-like bird of the family Stercorariidae, such as the great skua or bonxie (Stercorarius skua) or arctic skua (S. parasiticus) both of which harass terns or gulls into dropping or disgorging fish they have caught | |
| [C17: from New Latin, from Faeroese skūgvur, from Old Norse skūfr] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
skua
"predatory gull," 1678, from Faeroese skugvur, related to O.N. skufr "seagull, tuft, tassel," and possibly to skauf "fox's tail."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The use of great skua pellets as indicators of plastic pollution in seabirds.
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