Penguin
/ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/noun
A flightless seabird of the Southern Hemisphere, especially the Antarctic region, with flipper-like wings adapted for swimming.
Did you know?Early English explorers used “penguin” for the great auk, a flightless North Atlantic bird driven to extinction in the nineteenth century, before applying the name to Southern Hemisphere penguins.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic (proposed)
Proto-Celtic
*pennos
“Head or end; a proposed ancestor of Welsh pen”
Medieval Welsh (proposed)
Welsh
pen gwyn
““White head,” a traditionally proposed source, though the connection is uncertain”
16th Century
English
pengwin
“A name recorded for the great auk, a flightless North Atlantic seabird”
16th–17th Century
English
penguin
“The spelling became established for the great auk and related-looking seabirds”
18th–19th Century
English
penguin
“The name was applied chiefly to the flightless seabirds of the Southern Hemisphere”
Modern English
English
penguin
“A Southern Hemisphere flightless seabird adapted for marine life”