shearwater

[ sheer-waw-ter, -wot-er ]

noun
  1. any of several long-winged petrels of the genus Puffinus that appear to shear the water with their wing tips when flying low.

Origin of shearwater

1
First recorded in 1665–75; shear + water

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British Dictionary definitions for shearwater

shearwater

/ (ˈʃɪəˌwɔːtə) /


noun
  1. any of several oceanic birds of the genera Puffinus, such as P. puffinus (Manx shearwater), Procellaria, etc, specialized for an aerial or aquatic existence: family Procellariidae, order Procellariiformes (petrels)

Origin of shearwater

1
C17: so named because their wings seem to clip the waves when they are flying low

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012