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Glite Dictionary
Plautus alle

Plautus alle

9.9
A small seabird with a short beak that nests on Arctic rocky coasts
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Plautus alle
  • The Plautus alle is commonly seen nesting on rocky Arctic coasts.

Examples

  • Unlike other auks, the Plautus alle prefers to feed on zooplankton in cold northern waters.

  • Researchers observed a large colony of Plautus alle during their expedition to Greenland.

  • The Plautus alle is often found in icy waters.

  • Did you see a Plautus alle during the Arctic expedition?

  • Researchers observed a large colony of Plautus alle during their expedition to Greenland.

  • The Plautus alle is commonly seen nesting on rocky Arctic coasts.

  • Unlike other auks, the Plautus alle prefers to feed on zooplankton in cold northern waters.

Synonyms

little auk
vsPlautus alle
9.9

A small sea bird with a short beak that lives in the Arctic

has identical meaning but appears as an alternate name
dovekie
vsPlautus alle
  • US
9.9

A small black and white sea bird with a short bill that lives in the Arctic

has identical meaning but is another variant of the name

Surface Forms

Plautus alle singular
Plautus alles plural

Morphology

Plautus + alle

This is a taxonomic Latin binomial rather than a compositional English phrase: knowing 'Plautus' as a genus label and an undefined token 'alle' does not let a B1 learner infer the common-language meaning 'little auk'. Scientific names function as arbitrary labels and do not follow ordinary compositional patterns, so the meaning is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Plautus alle is a scientific name made of two parts, Plautus and alle. One popular story says alle was an old word for an 'auk', so the name meant the 'little auk' and was used for this small, short-billed Arctic bird.