Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
petrel [pe-truh l] EXAMPLES|WORD ORIGIN noun any of numerous tube-nosed seabirds of the families Procellariidae, Hydrobatidae, and Pelecanoididae. Liberaldictionary.com
Compare storm petrel, diving petrel. Origin of petrel 1670–80; earlier pitteral, of uncertain origin; perhaps altered by association with St. Peter (who attempted to walk on the water of Lake Gennesareth), alluding to the bird’s habit of flying close to the ocean surface Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for petrel Historical Examples of petrel
I intend to charter the Petrel, which has just discharged the cargo she brought here.
George Alfred Henty
“No,” said the major, shaking his head, as he gazed out to where the Petrel lay.
George Manville Fenn
The Leach’s Petrel, Murre, and some other sea birds, have but one egg.
Thomas Gilbert Pearson
Her decks spouting flame, the Petrel raced on to meet the enemy.
Brayton Norton
Mascola turned angrily on the leather cushion and glared at the Petrel’s deck.
Brayton Norton
British Dictionary definitions for petrel petrel noun any oceanic bird of the order Procellariiformes, having a hooked bill and tubular nostrils: includes albatrosses, storm petrels, and shearwatersSee also storm petrel Word Origin for petrel C17: variant of earlier pitteral, associated by folk etymology with St Peter, because the bird appears to walk on water Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for petrel n.
seabird, 1670s, pitteral, modern spelling first recorded 1703 by English explorer William Dampier (1651-1715), who wrote the bird was so called from its way of flying with its feet just skimming the surface of the water, which recalls the apostle’s walk on the sea of Galilee (Matt. xiv:28); if so, it likely was formed in English as a diminutive of Peter (Late Latin Petrus). If this is folk etymology, the true source of the name is undiscovered. French pétrel (1760) probably is from English.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
