gannet

noun gan·net \ ˈga-nət \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Definition of gannet

plural gannets also gannet

: any of a genus (Morus of the family Sulidae, the gannet family) of large fish-eating seabirds that breed in colonies chiefly on offshore islands

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Recent Examples of gannet from the Web

Nigel, a handsome gannet bird who lived on a desolate island off the coast of New Zealand, died suddenly this week.

— author: karin brulliard, Anchorage Daily News, "Nigel, the world’s loneliest bird, dies next to the concrete decoy he loved," 3 Feb. 2018
Don’t miss: From September to May, Cape Kidnappers is home to the world’s largest accessible mainland gannet bird hatching ground; make sure to take a Can-Am tour to see the colony.

— jessica flint, WSJ, "The Hedge Fund Pioneer Turned Accidental Luxury Hotelier," 19 June 2018
But types of gannets have settled all over the world, including in Scotland.

— yonette joseph, New York Times, "The Life and Death of Nigel, the World’s Loneliest Seabird," 4 Feb. 2018
In the 1990s, conservationists set up concrete gannets on the western side of Mana to lure real birds.

— yonette joseph, New York Times, "The Life and Death of Nigel, the World’s Loneliest Seabird," 4 Feb. 2018
Perhaps the saddest twist to this tale is that three other gannets settled on Mana last month, after conservation officials tweaked the sound system used to attract them, according to the New Zealand website Stuff.

— author: karin brulliard, Anchorage Daily News, "Nigel, the world’s loneliest bird, dies next to the concrete decoy he loved," 3 Feb. 2018
Little Skellig, where boats are not allowed to land, is a seabird sanctuary to one of the largest colonies in the world of northern gannets.

— julia blakely, Smithsonian, "The True History of Luke Skywalker’s Monastic Retreat," 11 Jan. 2018
Viking Age explorers followed ocean foragers such as guillemots and gannets to new shores.

— cheryl katz, Smithsonian, "Disappearing Puffins Bring an Icelandic Hunting Tradition Under Scrutiny," 17 Jan. 2017
Hop on one of the boats waiting at the dock in Perce to cross to this unique park where a massive gathering of northern gannets lands every year to raise their young.

— sylvie bigar, miamiherald, "St. Lawrence is part tame river, part wild sea | Miami Herald," 4 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gannet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

There are three oceanic bird species called gannet. They are found in the North Atlantic, where they are the largest seabirds, and in temperate seas around Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The adults are mainly white with black-tipped wing feathers and a large, yellowish or buff-colored head, with black around the eyes. They have a tapered beak and pointed tail. They dive with half-closed wings to catch fish and squid. They waddle on land, but are expert fliers, spending most of their lives over water. They nest in dense colonies on cliffs. The largest species is the 40-in (100-cm) northern gannet.

Origin and Etymology of gannet

Middle English ganate, gante, going back to Old English ganot, ganet "a seabird, probably Morus bassanus," going back to Germanic *ganuta- "gander" (whence Middle Dutch ghent "gander," Old High German ganazzo, ganzo), from *gan- (base of *gan-s- "goose") + *-uta-, suffix of animal names — more at ¹goose

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

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