puffin

American

[puhf-in] / ˈpʌf ɪn /

noun

any of several alcidine sea birds of the genera Fratercula and Lunda, having a short neck and a large, compressed, grooved bill, as F. arctica Atlantic puffin, of the North Atlantic.

puffin British

/ ˈpʌfɪn /

noun

any of various northern diving birds of the family Alcidae (auks, etc), esp Fratercula arctica ( common or Atlantic puffin ), having a black-and-white plumage and a brightly coloured vertically flattened bill: order Charadriiformes

"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

Etymology

Origin of puffin

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English poffoun, poffin, puffon (compare Anglo-Latin poffo, puffo ); origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The devastating effect of storms on seabirds, including the thousands of puffins washing up on the coastline in the South West, Channel Islands and France, has been well documented.

From BBC

However, this particular puffin, Major Puff, doesn’t always make the best first impression, which is why I thought I’d step in now.

From Literature

France's main bird protection charity says more than 20,000 bird strandings – most of them puffins – have been reported along the Atlantic coastline since 1 February.

From BBC

Meanwhile puffins have been struggling to survive because they cannot find food.

From BBC

A beautiful, remote island off the coast of south-west Wales could be your new home - as long as you are happy to count puffins.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023