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You are here: Home / Animals / How Did the Penguin Get its Name, What Does it Mean, And Where Do Penguins Live?

How Did the Penguin Get its Name, What Does it Mean, And Where Do Penguins Live?

May 6, 2020 by Karen Hill

Penguins are aquatic, flightless birds that live only in Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere.

How Did the Penguin Get its Name

The word “penguin” is neither French, Breton nor Spanish in origin.

Many etymologists believe that the name is from the Welsh word “pen”, meaning “head”, and “gwyn”, which means “white”.

An alternative etymology suggests the name originates from the Latin word “pinguis”, meaning “fat”, from the penguin’s appearance.

A third theory is so stupid we won’t even mention it.

Actually, the first “penguins” were not what we call penguins.

The name was first given to the great auk, a black-and-white bird that lived near the North Pole.

Later, when explorers got to Antarctica, they saw black-and-white birds that reminded them vaguely of the “penguins” of the north, so the explorers called them penguins, too.

The southern fowl inherited sole ownership of the name when the last great auk was hunted to extinction in 1944.

Well, almost sole ownership, there is also a West Indies pineapple, sometimes used for making a type of wine, that is also known by the name penguin.

Related Facts

  • How Was the Auk Similar to the Penguin and How Did Newfoundland Help in Naming the Penguin?
  • Why do Mother Penguins Abandon Their Eggs Leaving the Penguin Fathers to Raise the Chicks Alone?
  • What Do Penguins Eat and How Big do Penguins Get?
  • When Did Penguins Become Flightless Birds And Why Did Penguins Evolve To Swim?
  • Why Does a Young Penguin Stick Its Head in Its Mother's Mouth?
  • How Do Penguins Prevent Their Feet From Freezing In the Winter and How Do Penguins Stay Warm In the Cold?

Filed Under: Animals

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What are Auks, Where Do Auks Come From, And How Are Auks Different From Penguins?
Next Post: What Does the Word “Bedlam” Mean and Where Did the Term For Chaos Come From? »

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