Penguin

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Penguin \Pen"guin\ (p[e^]n"gw[i^]n), n. [Perh. orig. the name of
     another bird, and fr. W. pen head + gwyn white; or perh. from
     a native South American name.]
     1. (Zool.) 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}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: Penguins are found in the south temperate and antarctic
           regions. The king penguins ({Aptenodytes Patachonica},
           and {Aptenodytes longirostris}) are the largest; the
           jackass penguins ({Spheniscus}) and the rock hoppers
           ({Catarractes}) congregate in large numbers at their
           breeding grounds.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Bot.) 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. [Written also {pinguin}.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Arctic penguin} (Zool.), the great auk. See {Auk}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  penguin
       n : short-legged flightless birds of cold southern especially
           Antarctic regions having webbed feet and wings modified
           as flippers