Meanings
shearwater1
nounshearwater (plural shearwaters)
plural shearwaters · alternative sheerwater
- Any of the long-winged pelagic seabirds of the family Procellariidae in genera Puffinus, Ardenna, and Calonectris, that breed on islands and coastal cliffs.
At first I would not eat a frigate bird, a booby or a shearwater, but after a few months on the island I tried one broiled over coconut-shell coals, and I have never since missed an opportunity for such a feast.
1929, Robert Dean Frisbee, The Book of Puka-Puka, Eland, published 2019, page 53 - broadlyAny of the entire family Procellariidae, including certain of the petrels.
Shearwater2
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Also see
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-
- Proto-Germanic*skeraną
- Proto-West Germanic*skeran
- Old Englishsċieran
- Middle Englishscheren
- Englishshear
- Proto-Indo-European*wed-
- Proto-Indo-European*wódr̥
- Proto-Germanic*watōr
- Proto-West Germanic*watar
- Old Englishwæter
- Middle Englishwater
- Englishwater
- Englishshearwater
Translations
Ancient Greek αἴθυια
- αἴθυια (aíthuia)seabird
Bulgarian буревестник
- буревестник (burevestnik)seabird
Catalan baldriga, virot (Balears)
- baldrigaseabird
- virot (Balears)seabird
Dutch pijlstormvogel
- pijlstormvogelseabird
Esperanto pufino
- pufinoseabird
Finnish liitäjä
- liitäjäseabird
French puffin
- puffinseabird
German Sturmtaucher
- Sturmtaucherseabird
Hungarian vészmadár
- vészmadárseabird
Irish cánóg
- cánógseabird
Japanese 水薙鳥, ミズナギドリ
- 水薙鳥 (mizunagi-dori)seabird
- ミズナギドリ (mizunagi-dori)seabird
Korean 슴새
- 슴새 (seumsae)seabird
Polish burzyk
- burzykseabird
Portuguese cagarra, pardela
- cagarraseabird
- pardelaseabird
Spanish pardela
- pardelaseabird
Turkish yelkovan
- yelkovanseabird
Ukrainian буревісник
- буревісник (burevisnyk)seabird
Welsh adar drycin, gwylan y graig
- adar drycinseabird
- gwylan y graigseabird
Cite this entry
APA
shearwater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shearwater
MLA
“shearwater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shearwater. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shearwater,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shearwater.
Source: shearwater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.