Auklet
/ˈɔːk.lət/noun
A small seabird of the auk family, especially one of several North Pacific species.
Did you know?The word’s ancestor is connected with northern European names for auks, while its larger relative, the Great Auk, became extinct in the nineteenth century and is now a symbol of irreversible human loss.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Dutch
alk
“A name for an auk or similar seabird; the ultimate origin is uncertain.”
16th Century
Icelandic
álka
“A name for an auk, preserved in the North Atlantic bird-naming tradition.”
17th Century
English
auk
“A seabird of the family Alcidae, borrowed or adapted from northern European forms such as Dutch alk.”
18th Century
English
-let
“A diminutive suffix, historically related to French -ette and used in English to indicate smallness.”
19th Century
English
auklet
“A small auk; the compound combines auk with the diminutive suffix -let.”