petrel

noun pe·trel \ ˈpe-trəl , ˈpē- \

Updated on: 6 Apr 2018

Definition of petrel

: any of numerous seabirds (especially families Procellariidae and Hydrobatidae); especially : one of the smaller long-winged birds that fly far from land — compare storm petrel

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Recent Examples of petrel from the Web

Conservationists have long worried about microplastics, the tiny bits that have been found in the stomachs of seabirds, including many petrels, auklets and gulls that live along the California coast.

— peter fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, "Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now three times the size of France," 22 Mar. 2018
While penguins may look profoundly different from other birds, their DNA points to a close kinship to such species as albatrosses and petrels.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "Ancient Penguins Were Giant Waddling Predators," 12 Dec. 2017
Seabirds that are strong flyers; gulls, shearwaters, petrels, and jaegers; will usually exit the storm first.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Look what the hurricane blew in," 22 Sep. 2017
The island is a nesting site for rare species of petrels, shearwaters and terns.

— evan halper, latimes.com, "These are the 10 ecologically sensitive landscapes and marine preserves Trump may be targeting," 18 Sep. 2017
The team also found, not surprisingly, that the birds most attracted to the DMS odor are the albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters that are most severely affected by plastic consumption.

— laura parker, National Geographic, "Animals Eat Ocean Plastic Because it Smells Like Food," 9 Nov. 2016
More specifically, Wilson is tweeting from Bird Island, which is all of three miles long and populated by extremely photogenic giant petrels, macaroni penguins, and elephant seals.

— chelsea leu, WIRED, "Scientists Who Tweet From Ridiculously Remote Places," 23 Oct. 2015
Pigeons, petrels, honeybees and possibly bears and mice use odor maps of their neighborhoods to return to den sites or nests.

— michael engelhard, Alaska Dispatch News, "An ode to Alaska odors," 1 July 2017
After the petrel (or drone) dies, information about its feeding habits is preserved for hundreds or thousands of years inside its bones.

— wendy mitman clarke, Smithsonian, "Bones of the Hawaiian Petrel Open Up a Window Into the Birds’ Changing Diet," 26 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of petrel

alteration of earlier pitteral

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First Known Use: 1602

in the meaning defined above

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PETREL Defined for English Language Learners

petrel

noun

Definition of petrel for English Language Learners

: a bird that has long wings and usually dark feathers and that lives mainly on the ocean

PETREL Defined for Kids

petrel

noun pe·trel \ ˈpe-trəl , ˈpē- \

Definition of petrel for Students

: a small seabird with long wings that flies far from land

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Britannica English: Translation of petrel for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about petrel

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petrel

Definition of petrel

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Origin and Etymology of petrel

PETREL Defined for English Language Learners

petrel

Definition of petrel for English Language Learners

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petrel

Definition of petrel for Students

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