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View synonyms for storm petrel

storm petrel

or storm-petrel

noun

  1. any of several small, tube-nosed seabirds of the family Hydrobatidae, usually having black or sooty-brown plumage with a white rump.


storm petrel

noun

  1. any small petrel, such as the northern Hydrobates pelagicus, of the family Hydrobatidae, typically having a dark plumage with paler underparts Also calledMother Carey's chickenstormy petrel
“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


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Word History and Origins

Origin of storm petrel1

First recorded in 1795–1805
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Word History and Origins

Origin of storm petrel1

C19: so named because it was thought to be a harbinger of rough weather
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Example Sentences

The storm petrel hovered high, swooped close, her lips parted.

Like the puffin and the storm-petrel, razor-bills rarely leave the sea except for breeding.

He disappears as does the storm petrel when the sea is quiet.

Yesterday and today great numbers of a storm petrel (Thalassidroma leucogastra) have been following in our wake.

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