penguin en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpeŋ.ɡwən/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- (US) audio
- /ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈpeŋ.wən/ (Australia, nonstandard)
- /ˈpɪŋ.ɡwɪn/ (pin-pen-merger)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Celtic *kʷennom Proto-Brythonic *penn Welsh pen? Proto-Indo-European *weyd-der.? Proto-Celtic *windos Proto-Brythonic *gwɨnn Welsh gwyn? Proto-Indo-European *peyh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ-influ.? Latin pinguisder.? English penguin Uncertain. First attested in the 16th century in reference to the auk of the Northern hemisphere; the word was later applied to the superficially similar birds of the Southern hemisphere (as was woggin). Possibly from Welsh pen (“head”) and gwyn (“white”), or from Latin pinguis (“fat”). See citations and the Wikipedia article. Sense 3 originates from the often black-and-white habit worn by nuns, which resemble the bird's colors.
Meanings
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Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual upright stance, walking on short legs, and (generally) their stark black and white plumage.
Here are also birds cal'd Pen-gwins (white-head in Welch) like Pigmies walking upright, their finns or wings hanging very orderly downe like sleeves […]
1638, Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels, section I:
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(historical, obsolete) An auk (sometimes especially a great auk), a bird of the Northern Hemisphere.
More than a hundred years ago, for example, was seen the last of the great wingless penguins or auks, which early writers quaintly called " wobble-birds."
1885, Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York:This last species of penguin, or auk, seems to be the same with the alca cirrhata of Dr. Pallis, Spicileg. Zool. Fasc. v. p. 7. tab. i. & v. fig. 1–3. F.
1772 March, “Account of the Settlement of the Malouines”, in The Gentleman's and London Magazine, page 166:
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(slang) A nun.
Jake (John Belushi): What are we doing here? Elwood (Dan Aykroyd): You promised you'd visit the penguin the day you got out. Jake: Yeah. So, I lied to her. Elwood:You can't lie to a nun. We gotta go in and visit the penguin.
1980, Dan Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers (motion picture):
- A type of catch where the palm of the hand is facing towards the leg with the arm stretched downward, resembling the flipper of a penguin.
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(UK, slang) A member of the air force who does not fly aircraft.
Notwithstanding his elevated status as the wing’s Senior Intelligence Officer, Monty, too, was a “penguin,” equal in that respect to an armament assistant, airframe mechanic, pigeon loftsman or any of the seventy-odd ground trades listed by the Royal Canadian Air Force at the war’s end.
1994, Monty Berger, Invasions without tears: the story of Canada's top-scoring Spitfire wing in Europe during the Second World War, →ISBN, →LCCN, page xi:Although it is a permanent R.A.F. station (pre-war, that is), we meander about, even in the Mess, in battle dress and flying boots, sweaters, etc., much to the disgust of some of the more dignified 'penguins' […]
1942, Hermann Hagedorn, Sunward I've Climbed, page 143:She may have been a “penguin”—an Air Force service member who didn't fly—but it sure beat being at home, as Brady had pointed out.
2015 June 1, Kate Christie, In the Company of Women, Bella Books, →ISBN, →OCLC:This was to be my home for three months where ground officer cadets, referred to colloquially as ‘penguins’ were trained.
2019 November 5, Derek Esp, An Adventure in Education: The Autobiography of an Accidental Career in Education, Troubador Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 46:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| penguins | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| pinguin | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
penguinarium · Fiordland penguin · gentoo penguin · Magellanic penguin · chinstrap penguin · banded penguin · royal penguin · penguinery · crested penguin · Snares penguin · Galápagos penguin · Galapagos penguin · penguinry · jackass penguin · erect-crested penguin · Ridgen's penguin · fairy penguin · penguin diagram · Adelie penguin · king penguin · penguinesque · yellow-eyed penguin · embrace the penguin · Waitaha penguin · Humboldt penguin · penguin trainer · penguinone · Chatham Islands penguin · African penguin · penguinese · penguinlike · emperor penguin · macaroni penguin · brush-tailed penguin · Chatham Island penguin · penguinish · white-flippered penguin · rockhopper penguin · penguin suit · little penguin
Descendants
pinguïn · ペンギン · 펭귄 · পেঙ্গুইন · penekuina · pinguin · ភេនឃ្វីន · ပင်ဂွင် · เพนกวิน · pengwin
Translations (133)
dv ޕެންގުއިން (flightless sea bird) · as পেঙ্গুইন (flightless sea bird) · hi पेंगुइन (flightless sea bird) · el πιγκουίνος (flightless sea bird) · haw penekuina (flightless sea bird) · ar بِطْرِيق (flightless sea bird) · wuu 企鵝 /企鹅 (flightless sea bird) · et pingviin (flightless sea bird) · ky пингвин (flightless sea bird) · my ပင်ဂွင် (flightless sea bird) · sh пѝнгвӣн (flightless sea bird) · yi פּינגווין (flightless sea bird) · kmr pêngwîn (flightless sea bird) · mn ᠶᠠᠪᠠᠭᠠᠨ ᠭᠠᠯᠠᠭᠤ (flightless sea bird) · sw ngwini (flightless sea bird) · da pingvin (flightless sea bird) · sl pingvin (flightless sea bird) · de Pinguin (flightless sea bird) · ta பென்குயின் (flightless sea bird) · nv tsídii naʼałkʼaiʼí (flightless sea bird) · yo pẹ́ńgúìnì (flightless sea bird) · th เพนกวิน (flightless sea bird) · ur پینگوئن (flightless sea bird) · cy pengwin (flightless sea bird) · nl vetgans (flightless sea bird) · es pingüino (flightless sea bird) · cmn 企鵝 /企鹅 (flightless sea bird) · ja 企鵝 (flightless sea bird) · acw بَطْريق (flightless sea bird) · mn ᠣᠴᠣᠩ ᠰᠢᠪᠠᠭᠤ (flightless sea bird) · ja ペンギン (flightless sea bird) · lo ນົກຄໍກ່ານ (flightless sea bird) · ady пингвин (flightless sea bird) · ja 人鳥 (flightless sea bird) · arn pachanka (flightless sea bird) · ka პინგვინი (flightless sea bird) · zza penguen (diq) (flightless sea bird) · tr karabat (flightless sea bird) · he פִּינְגְּוִין (flightless sea bird) · vi chim cánh cụt (flightless sea bird) · ast pingüín (flightless sea bird) · myv эймацей (flightless sea bird) · mt pengwin (flightless sea bird) · vo pinguen (flightless sea bird) · lo ຫ່ານຢິ່ງຢີ້ (flightless sea bird) · mk пингви́н (flightless sea bird) · ca pingüí (flightless sea bird) · fr manchot (flightless sea bird) · haw manuhelekū (flightless sea bird) · nds Pinguien (flightless sea bird) · it pinguino (flightless sea bird) · ru пингви́н (flightless sea bird) · eu pinguino (flightless sea bird) · ug پىنگېۋىن (flightless sea bird) · kmr pengûwîn (flightless sea bird) · kmr pênguen (flightless sea bird) · hak 企鵝 /企鹅 (flightless sea bird) · uk пінгві́н (flightless sea bird) · sq pinguin (flightless sea bird) · is mörgæs (flightless sea bird) · arz بطريق (flightless sea bird) · ga piongain (flightless sea bird) · fi pingviini (flightless sea bird) · fr pingouin (flightless sea bird) · nan-hbl 徛鵝 /徛鹅 (flightless sea bird) · nan-hbl 企鵝 /企鹅 (flightless sea bird) · ky карабат (flightless sea bird) · ab апингви́н (flightless sea bird) · oj bimaadagaako-bineshiinh (flightless sea bird) · km ភេនឃ្វីន (flightless sea bird) · yag ŝúŝa (flightless sea bird) · ps پنګوين (flightless sea bird) · kmr betrîq (flightless sea bird) · an pingüino (flightless sea bird) · kk пингвин (flightless sea bird) · ta பனிக்கோழி (flightless sea bird) · uz pingvin (flightless sea bird) · ko 펭귄 (flightless sea bird) · fo pingvin (flightless sea bird) · tg пингвин (flightless sea bird) · be пінгві́н (flightless sea bird) · nhn michtototl (flightless sea bird) · haw manu-hele-kū (flightless sea bird) · hu pingvin (flightless sea bird) · yue 企鵝 /企鹅 (flightless sea bird) · eo pingveno (flightless sea bird) · pt pinguim (flightless sea bird) · za gingoz (flightless sea bird) · no pingvin (flightless sea bird) · id angsa gempal (flightless sea bird) · ckb بەتریق (flightless sea bird) · mn явган галуу (flightless sea bird) · ms penguin (flightless sea bird) · ur پنگوئن (flightless sea bird) · bg пингви́н (flightless sea bird) · tt пингвин (flightless sea bird) · mn оцон шувуу (flightless sea bird) · zu iphengwini (flightless sea bird) · sk tučniak (flightless sea bird) · pl pingwin (flightless sea bird) · bn পেঙ্গুইন (flightless sea bird) · gl pingüín (flightless sea bird) · gu પેંગ્વિન (flightless sea bird) · vi chim cụt cánh (flightless sea bird) · hy անթեւուկ (flightless sea bird) · lt pingvinas (flightless sea bird) · pl bezlotek (flightless sea bird) · kmr pengûen (flightless sea bird) · hy պինգվին (flightless sea bird) · io pinguino (flightless sea bird) · ckb پەنگوین (flightless sea bird) · af pikkewyn (flightless sea bird) · kmr pîngûîn (flightless sea bird) · sw pengwini (flightless sea bird) · tr penguen (flightless sea bird) · lv pingvīns (flightless sea bird) · fa پنگوئن (flightless sea bird) · az pinqvin (flightless sea bird) · tl pingguwino (flightless sea bird) · nhn michtototl (flightless sea bird) · xh oonombombiya (flightless sea bird) · tk pingwin (flightless sea bird) · id pinguin (flightless sea bird) · ur بِطْرِیق (flightless sea bird) · kmr pêngiwîn (flightless sea bird) · kw penn gwynn (flightless sea bird) · sh pìngvīn (flightless sea bird) · sv pingvin (flightless sea bird) · mn пингвин (flightless sea bird) · nrf pîngouîn (flightless sea bird) · ro pinguin (flightless sea bird) · nl pinguïn (flightless sea bird) · cs tučňák (flightless sea bird)