Meanings
plural fulmars
- Either of two species of pelagic seabird in the genus Fulmarus, Fulmarus glacialis and F. glacialoides, which breed on cliffs.
In particular, fulmars have the distinctive trait of vomiting half-digested fish oil when approached on the nest and should be given a wide berth wherever possible.
2009, Gary Latter, “Scottish Rock”, in North, volume 2, page 3832 more examples
In the southern districts, the Inuit hunted fulmars with bird darts from kayaks (Helms 1926). The Nipisat people may have hunted fulmar and great shearwater, probably using similar methods.
2004, Anne Birgitte Gotfredsen, Tinna Møbjerg, Nipisat - A Saqqaq Culture Site in Sisimiut, Central West Greenland, page 104And why oh why is it always bloody fulmars following us about? Have they got nothing better to do, these silly lickspittle fulmars, than to ape every petty twist and turn of our hollow peregrinations? I'm sick of fulmars.
2010, Roger D. Taylor, Mingming & the Art of Minimal Ocean Sailing, page 290Synonyms: fulmar-petrel, stinker
Synonyms & antonyms
nounEither of two species of pelagic seabird in the genus Fulmarus, Fulmarus glacialis and F. glacialoides, which breed on cliffs.
More synonyms by meaning
nounheavy short-tailed oceanic bird of polar regions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Norsefúll“foul”
- Old Norsefúlmár
- Icelandicfúlmár
- Englishfulmar
From Icelandic fúlmár, from Old Norse fúlmár, from Old Norse fúll (“foul”) + már (“gull, mew”) (see English mew), evidently in reference to the foul-smelling vomit it ejects to deter predators.
More words from Icelandic, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian буревестник
- буревестник (burevestnik)seabird in the genus Fulmarus
Catalan fulmar
- fulmarseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Czech buřňák
- buřňákseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Danish mallemuk, isstormfugl
- mallemukseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- isstormfuglseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Finnish myrskyliitäjä
- myrskyliitäjäseabird in the genus Fulmarus
French fulmar
- fulmarseabird in the genus Fulmarus
German Eissturmvogel
- Eissturmvogelseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Greek φουλμάρος
- φουλμάρος (foulmáros)seabird in the genus Fulmarus
Hungarian hojsza
- hojszaseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Icelandic fýll, múkki
- fýllseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- múkkiseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Irish fulmaire
- fulmaireseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Italian fulmaro, ossifraga
- fulmaroseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- ossifragaseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Polish fulmar
- fulmarseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Portuguese fulmar, pardelão
- fulmarseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- pardelãoseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Russian глупы́ш
- глупы́ш (glupýš)seabird in the genus Fulmarus
Scottish Gaelic fulmair, eun-crom
- fulmairseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- eun-cromseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- guga-Tiortachseabird in the genus Fulmarus
- làir-ghlas (Arisaig)seabird in the genus Fulmarus
- pollastairseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Slovak fulmar
- fulmarseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Spanish fulmar
- fulmarseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Swedish stormfågel
- stormfågelseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Welsh adar drycin y graig
- adar drycin y graigseabird in the genus Fulmarus
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
fulmar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fulmar
“fulmar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fulmar. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fulmar,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fulmar.
Source: fulmar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.