mew gull

9.6

A medium-sized seabird with a grey back and white belly found in Europe, Asia, and northeastern North America

noun
/mjuː ɡʌl/

: gaviota de mew

The mew gull was spotted near the beach, its grey back glistening in the sun.

Examples

It could be a Western gull, a Mew gull, or a California gull.

Fiction book (1998)
The mew gull is often found flying in groups along the shorelines of northern regions.
During our trip to the coast, we saw a mew gull diving for fish in the shallow water.

Synonyms

gull

vsmew gull

27 2.0

A medium to large white seabird with long pointed wings and short legs

means the single species rather than the whole group

mew

vsmew gull

1 9.9

A small gull with grey and white feathers that lives by the sea

describes it as medium-sized rather than small

Larus canus

vsmew gull

Specialized

8.8

A medium-sized seagull with pale grey wings and a white body that lives in Europe, Asia, and northeast North America

is the common vernacular name rather than the Latin species name

sea mew

vsmew gull

9.9

A medium white and grey bird that lives by the sea and eats fish

is the standard descriptive name noting size and colour

sea gull

vsmew gull

1.0

A mostly white bird with long wings that lives near the sea or lakes

refers to one specific species with grey back and white underparts

Surface Forms

mew gull singular

mew gulls plural

Morphology

mew + gull

The compound 'mew gull' denotes a subtype of gull and its meaning is directly built from the constituents: 'mew' (a small coastal gull) + 'gull' (coastal bird), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a kind of gull. This follows the common noun+noun compound pattern for naming species and is therefore transparently compositional for learners.

Etymology

Mew gull may come from the bird's soft mew call, a high sound like a kitten's cry. People named the bird for that sound, so today mew gull refers to a gull known for its softer call.