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Glite Dictionary
great auk

great auk

9.9
A large seabird that could not fly and lived on rocky islands in the northern Atlantic and is now extinct
  • noun
  • /ɡreɪt ɔk/
translation icon : gran alca
  • Scientists study the great auk to understand the impacts of extinction on marine ecosystems.
  • great auk is extinct

Like if you could successfully do that, could you bring back the great auk?

Examples

  • Europe's breeding bird species have fared even better, with only a single species (the great auk) having become extinct in modern times.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The great auk was a large bird that could not fly and became extinct in the 19th century.

  • The last pair of great auks was killed by hunters on an island off the coast of Newfoundland.

Synonyms

Pinguinus impennis
vsgreat auk
  • Specialized
9.9

A large flightless seabird from North Atlantic islands that is now extinct

is the common name used in everyday contexts rather than the scientific form

Surface Forms

great auk singular
great auks plural

Morphology

great + auk

The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'great' signals largeness and 'auk' is a seabird, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a large auk (a specific species). This is a literal adjective+noun species name rather than an idiomatic or metaphorical expression, so its meaning is transparently derivable.

Etymology

Great auk comes from sailors naming a very large sea bird: great shows it was big and auk was the word for similar seabirds. Because the bird could not fly and stayed on rocky islands, people could easily catch it, so today great auk means that large sea bird which is now 'extinct'.