• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How Was the Auk Similar to the Penguin and How Did Newfoundland Help in Naming the Penguin?

How Was the Auk Similar to the Penguin and How Did Newfoundland Help in Naming the Penguin?

June 23, 2020 by Karen Hill

The now extinct great auk of the North Atlantic was a large bird with small wings.

This made it very similar in appearance to the Antarctic penguin that we know today.

Because of these underdeveloped wings, the auk was called a “pin-wing”.

And so in 1578, when the first description of the bird came out of Newfoundland, it was written as it sounded in the local dialect.

Pin-wing became penguin.

The name and the spelling were then given to the auk’s southern look-alike.

Coincidentally, the auk’s Latin name is pinguinis.

Related Facts

  • How Do Big Airplanes Fly When They Are So Heavy?
  • What are Auks, Where Do Auks Come From, And How Are Auks Different From Penguins?
  • How Did the Penguin Get its Name, What Does it Mean, And Where Do Penguins Live?
  • History of Safety Pins
  • Why do Mother Penguins Abandon Their Eggs Leaving the Penguin Fathers to Raise the Chicks Alone?
  • How Would Penguins Survive In the Arctic and Would Polar Bears Survive In Antarctica If They Moved There?

Filed Under: Language

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: « Why Do Geese Fly In a V Formation, Why Is it More Efficient, and How Does it Help Birds Fly Further?
Next Post: Where Did the Expression “A Horse of a Different Colour” Originate and What Does the Phrase Mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy