dovekie

noun

dove·​kie ˈdəv-kē How to pronounce dovekie (audio)
: a small short-billed auk (Alle alle) breeding on arctic coasts and ranging south in winter

Examples of dovekie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sightings from Race Point in Provincetown included 2 Pacific loons, 11 red-necked grebes, 2 pomarine jaegers, a dovekie, 34 common murres, 425 razorbills, a black guillemot, 2 great shearwaters, 145 black-legged kittiwakes, 3 Iceland gulls, and a snowy owl. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Dec. 2020 For now, the dovekie population is thriving, producing just as many healthy chicks as before. Thor Hanson, WSJ, 24 Sep. 2021 Miscellaneous: Reports included a dovekie at Cuttyhunk Island. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Apr. 2021 At Andrew’s Point in Rockport, sightings included a Pacific loon and a dovekie. BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2019 Richards confirms that monkfish can prey on small birds called dovekies, and the biggest could indeed snatch a goose. Rachel Ellner, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

Scots, "the black guillemot (Cepphus grylle)," from dove dove entry 1 + -kie, double diminutive suffix (from -k, -ick, -ock -ock + -ie -ie); allegedly so called from the dove-like bond between nesting pairs

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dovekie was in 1821

Dictionary Entries Near dovekie

Cite this Entry

“Dovekie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dovekie. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

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