kittiwake

K5I1T1T1I1W4A1K5E1

noun

Either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae that nest in colonies on sea cliffs and spend the winter on the open ocean.

Similar
kitty
UncommonScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounkittiwake (plural kittiwakes or kittiwake)

plural kittiwakes · alternative kittiewake · alternative kittywake

  1. Either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae that nest in colonies on sea cliffs and spend the winter on the open ocean.
  2. IrelandUKthe black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), no other kittiwake being found in Europe.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
kitty
Also see
kitty

Origin

Originally Scots, imitative of the bird's call.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan gavineta
  • gavinetakittiwake
Danish ride
  • ridekittiwake
Dutch drieteenmeeuw, drieteenmeeuw
  • drieteenmeeuwRissa tridactyla
  • drieteenmeeuwkittiwake
Finnish kajava
  • kajavakittiwake
German Dreizehenmöwe
  • Dreizehenmöwekittiwake
Icelandic rita
  • ritakittiwake
Norwegian Bokmål krykkje, krykkje
  • krykkjeRissa tridactyla
  • krykkjekittiwake
Russian мо́евка
  • мо́евка (mójevka)kittiwake
Welsh gwylan goesddu
  • gwylan goesdduRissa tridactyla
Cite this entry
APA

kittiwake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kittiwake

MLA

“kittiwake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kittiwake. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kittiwake,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kittiwake.

Source: kittiwake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.