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Glite Dictionary
horned puffin

horned puffin

9.0
A sea bird from the northern Pacific with small black horns above its eyes
  • noun
  • /hɔrnɪd ˈpʌfɪn/
  • US
translation icon : puffin cornudo
  • Unlike the Atlantic puffin, the horned puffin has distinctive fleshy horns above its eyes.

Examples

  • The horned puffin nests on cliffs along the northern Pacific coastline.

  • The horned puffin is a unique seabird found in the northern Pacific.

  • During our Alaskan cruise, we spotted a group of horned puffins fishing near the shore.

  • Look at that horned puffin diving for fish!

  • We spotted several horned puffins as we sailed through the icy waters of Alaska.

  • The horned puffin is known for its distinctive horn-like structure above its eyes.

  • During our trip to the northern Pacific, we were excited to observe a horned puffin nesting on the rocky cliffs.

Synonyms

puffin
vshorned puffin
7 4.5

A seabird with a short neck and bright, colorful beak

is one specific Pacific species with small black fleshy bumps above each eye
Fratercula corniculata
vshorned puffin
  • Specialized
9.9

A small black-and-white seabird with fleshy 'horns' above its eyes found in the northern Pacific

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific label

Surface Forms

horned puffin singular
horned puffins plural

Morphology

horned + puffin

The phrase is directly compositional: 'horned' means having horns and 'puffin' is a seabird, so the combined meaning is a puffin that has horn-like structures. This is a literal adjective + noun naming pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The bird horned puffin gets its name from the small black horn above each eye that appears when it breeds, so the name simply describes how the seabird looks.