sea mew
1
9.9
- noun
- /siː muː/
- UK
- We watched the sea mew gliding above the crashing waves.
Examples
-
The children tried to feed the sea mew scraps of bread at the harbor.
-
The sea mew is often seen near coastal areas.
-
A solitary sea mew perched on the rocky outcrop, calling out to its flock.
-
Look at that sea mew diving into the water!
-
The children tried to feed the sea mew scraps of bread at the harbor.
-
We watched the sea mew gliding above the crashing waves.
-
The sea mew is often seen near coastal areas.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A small gull with grey and white feathers that lives by the sea
1
9.6
A medium-sized seabird with a grey back and white belly found in Europe, Asia, and northeastern North America
A medium-sized seagull with pale grey wings and a white body that lives in Europe, Asia, and northeast North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The name 'sea mew' is directly compositional: 'sea' (the habitat) + 'mew' (a small coastal gull) yields a gull associated with the sea. This noun–noun compounding pattern is transparent and commonly used cross-linguistically for animal names, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Sea mew likely comes from people hearing the bird's cry and calling that sound a mew, so the parts sea and mew together picture a bird by the sea. That's why sea mew is simply a name for the common 'gull' found near the coast.