Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

great auk

noun

Definition of great auk 

: an extinct large flightless auk (Pinguinus impennis) formerly abundant along North Atlantic coasts

Examples of great auk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 Like the dodo and the great auk, the tiger found a curious immortality as a global icon of extinction, more renowned for the tragedy of its death than for its life, about which little is known. — Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, "The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger," 16 Jan. 2012

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

First Known Use of great auk

1768, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about great auk

Statistics for great auk

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for great auk

The first known use of great auk was in 1768

See more words from the same year

More from Merriam-Webster on great auk

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about great auk

Comments on great auk

What made you want to look up great auk? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

tomfoolery

playful or foolish behavior

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Autumn Words of the Day 2018

  • a-top-down-image-of-road-through-an-autumn-forest
  • Which is a synonym of fugacious?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games