Lexic.us

Definition of Penguin

1. Noun. Short-legged flightless birds of cold southern especially Antarctic regions having webbed feet and wings modified as flippers.

Definition of Penguin

1. n. Any bird of the order Impennes, or Ptilopteri. They are covered with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin, under Jackass.

Definition of Penguin

1. Noun. Any of several flightless sea birds, of order ''Sphenisciformes'', found in the Southern Hemisphere; marked by their usual upright stance, walking on short legs, and (generally) their stark black and white plumage. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

2. Noun. (slang) A nun (because of the black and white habit). ¹

3. Noun. (juggling) A type of catch where the palm of the hand is facing towards the leg with the arm stretched downward, resembling the flipper of a penguin. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Penguin

1. a flightless, aquatic bird [n -S]

Medical Definition of Penguin

1. 1. Any bird of the order Impennes, or Ptilopteri. They are covered with short, thick feathers, almost scalelike on the wings, which are without true quills. They are unable to fly, but use their wings to aid in diving, in which they are very expert. See King penguin, under Jackass. Penguins are found in the south temperate and antarctic regions. The king penguins (Aptenodytes Patachonica, and A. Longirostris) are the largest; the jackass penguins (Spheniscus) and the rock hoppers (Catarractes) congregate in large numbers at their breeding grounds. 2. The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (Bromelia Pinguin) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has rigid, pointed, and spiny-toothed leaves, and is used for hedges. Alternative forms: pinguin] Arctic penguin, the great auk. See Auk. Origin: Perh. Orig. The name of another bird, and fr. W. Pen head + gwyn white; or perh. From a native South American name. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Penguin

Literary usage of Penguin

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A History of the People of the United States: From the Revolution to the by John Bach McMaster (1895)
"The Hornet was first to arrive, but had not time to anchor when Captain Biddle sighted the English sloop of war penguin. Chase was made at once, ..."

2. Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812 by Alfred Thayer Mahan (1905)
"The wind being south-southwest, the " penguin" was to windward, and bore up to ... The " penguin" drew gradually nearer, and at 1.55 put her helm hard up, ..."

3. A History of the Earth, and Animated Nature by Oliver Goldsmith, William Turton (1816)
"The penguin lays but one egg; and, in frequented shores, ... The egg of the penguin^ as well as of all this tribe, is very large for the size of the bird, ..."

4. History of the Second War Between the United States of America and Great by Charles Jared Ingersoll (1852)
"The penguin was sent to sea by the Admiral, manned and prepared to take the ... The Hornet and penguin were as well- matched as could be in class, size, ..."

5. Battles of the British Navy by Joseph Allen (1852)
"On the 18th of February, the 18-gun sloop penguin, Commander Robert Hansel ... The corvette, at a little past noon, edged off the wind to close the penguin, ..."

6. Design in Nature: Illustrated by Spiral and Other Arrangements in the by James Bell Pettigrew (1908)
"and of the penguin and extinct animals figured in Plate clxiii., ... The Swimming of the penguin. The swimming and diving of the penguin are full of ..."

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