Murre
/mɜːr/noun
A seabird of the auk family, especially a guillemot of the genus Uria.
Did you know?Unlike many occult-sounding words, murre has no securely documented magical or ritual origin; its history most likely begins as sound symbolism connected with the bird’s cry.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
Dutch
murre
“A murre or guillemot; probably an imitative bird-name”
Late 17th Century
English
murre
“A seabird of the auk family”
18th Century
English
murre
“A guillemot, especially one of the larger North Atlantic species”
19th Century
English
murrelet
“A small murre; a later diminutive formation from murre”
Modern English
English
murre
“A northern seabird of the genus Uria, including the common and thick-billed murres”