TERN

Tern

Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers or wetlands. Previously considered a subfamily of the gulls, Laridae, they are now usually given full family status and divided into eleven genera. They are slender, lightly built birds with long forked tails, narrow wings, long bills and relatively short legs. Their flight is buoyant and graceful. Most species are pale grey above and white below, with a contrasting black cap to the head, but the marsh terns, the Inca Tern and some noddies have dark plumage for at least part of the year. The sexes are identical in appearance, ...

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tern

Noun

  1. Any of various sea birds of the family Sternidae that are similar to gulls but are smaller, more elegant and have a forked tail.

Noun (etymology 2)

  1. That which consists of, or pertains to, three things or numbers together.
  2. A lottery prize resulting from the favourable combination of three numbers in the draw.

Adjective

  1. threefold; triple; consisting of three; ternate
    tern flowers; tern leaves
    a tern schooner, one with three masts


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: tern
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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