auk

Meaning

Any of several species of Arctic sea birds of the family Alcidae.

Synonyms

razorbill

dodo

🦤

penguin

🐧

razor-billed auk

razor-bill

Razorbill

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɔːk/

Etymology

From Icelandic álka, from Old Norse alka (“auk”), from Proto-Germanic *alkǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“a kind of bird”). Cognate with Swedish alka (“auk”), Norwegian and Danish alke (“auk”), Swedish dialectal alla (“long-tailed duck”) (Clangula hyemalis, syn. Fuligula glacialis), Latin olor (“swan”), Ancient Greek ἐλέα (eléa, “marsh-bird”), Welsh alarch (“swan”).