Alk
/ɔːk/noun
A variant spelling of auk, a seabird of the northern oceans.
Did you know?The word belongs to the same naming tradition as the extinct great auk, whose scientific name was Pinguinus impennis.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Antiquity
Latin
alca
“A northern seabird, probably borrowed from a Germanic source”
Old Norse
Old Norse
álka
“An auk or similar seabird”
Middle English
English
alk
“A seabird of the auk family”
17th–18th Century
English
auk
“The spelling that became more common in standard English”
Modern English
English
alk
“A dialectal or variant form of auk”