sphenisciform seabird
- noun
- /ˈsfɛnɪsɪˌfɔrm ˈsiːˌbɜrd/
- Specialized
:
pingüino
- Unlike most birds, the sphenisciform seabird is an excellent swimmer but cannot fly.
Examples
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The sphenisciform seabird is uniquely adapted to life in the icy waters of the Antarctic.
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Researchers studied a colony of sphenisciform seabirds to better understand their breeding habits.
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The sphenisciform seabird waddled across the ice.
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Many sphenisciform seabirds are found in Antarctica.
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Researchers studied a colony of sphenisciform seabirds to better understand their breeding habits.
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The sphenisciform seabird is uniquely adapted to life in the icy waters of the Antarctic.
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Many sphenisciform seabirds are found in Antarctica.
Synonyms
265
1.0
A bird that cannot fly and has short legs and wings shaped like flippers for swimming
Surface Forms
Morphology
sphenisciform + seabird
The phrase is compositionally an adjective + noun (a seabird that is sphenisciform), so if a learner knows that 'sphenisciform' means 'penguin-like' the overall meaning is predictable as a type of seabird (a penguin). However, 'sphenisciform' is a rare, technical taxonomic adjective derived from a scientific name and is not analysable or familiar to most B1 learners, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Sphenisciform seabird is a scientific name that may come from old Greek words meaning 'wedge' and 'shape', giving the image of a penguin's short, round body and strong flippers that act like small wedges for swimming. So sphenisciform seabird simply means a 'penguin', the flightless seabird that swims well in cold southern oceans.