Word of the Week (March 16-22): penquin

Word of the Week (March 16-22)

penquin

Entry from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:

penguin n also pinwing OED ~ 1 (Nfld: 1578-); DAE (1674-); DC (Nfld: 1578-). For a summary discussion of the obscure origin, see the OED note and W B LOCKWOOD Zeits für Ang und Amer xvii (1969), 262-4. A large, flightless bird once living in large numbers on Funk Island, extinct since the nineteenth century (Pinguinus impennis); attrib in coastal names; GREAT AUK.

[1536] 1600 HAKLUYT iii, 130 They came to part of the West Indies about Cape Briton, shaping their course thence Northeastwardes, untill they came to the Island of Penguin, which is very full of rockes and stones, whereon they went and found it full of great foules white and gray, as big as geese, and they saw infinite numbers of their egges. They drave a great number of the foules into their boats vpon their sayles.

[1578] 1935 Richard Hakluyt (Parkhurst's letter:] 131-2 There are ... many other kind of birdes store, too long to write, especially at one Island named Penguin, where wee may drive them on a planke into our ship as many as shall lade her. These birds are also called Penguins, and cannot flie, there is more meate in one of these then in a goose.

[1583] 1940 Gilbert's Voyages Enterprises ii, 398 [Hayes' narrative] We had sight of an Iland named Penguin, of a foule there breeding in abundance, almost incredible, which cannot flie, their wings not able to carry their body, being very large ... which the French men use to take without difficulty upon that Iland, and to barrell them up with salt. 1613 Willoughby Papers 1/24 [They] wear gone all abroad acoastinge all the [islands] for Eeggs and birds agaynst the [winter] which in one Iland [to] the northwards the may fill [the boats] with penn gwynes.

1620 WHITBOURNE 9 These Penguins are as bigge as Geese, and flye not, for they have but a little short wing.

[1663) 1963 YONGE ~ 5 Here are also strange coloured gulls, penguins; a bird with a great bill and no wings but such as goslings have. They can not fly, but when pursued, take their yong on their back.

[1766] 1971 BANKS 119 A number of Birds are about the ship which the seamen call Penguins. [1785] 1792 CARTWRIGHT iii, 55 A boat came in from Funk Island laden with birds, chiefly penguins.

[1822] 1928 CORMACK 8 Penguins, once numerous on this coast, may be considered as now extirpated, for none have been seen for many years past.

1870 Can Naturalist v, 411-12 Almost the sole object of my visiting the island was to collect further information [about] this bird,—which is called 'Pinwing' by the settlers, and not Penguin, as Audubon informs us... [I was informed] 'a living pinwing was caught by one Captain Stirling about twelve years ago.'

1913 HOWLEY 10 Owing to its peculiar flipper-like wings, with short thick pinfeathers thereon, it was called the Penguin (pin or pen-wing).

1951 Nfld & Lab Pilot i, 233 Penguin islands ... south-south-westward of Cape La Hune, are a group of numerous islands and rocks.


Now, we invite u to RELiVE, REMEMBER and REFRESH iT and/or even REDEFiNE iT!

The main thing is to RELISH iT.


N.B. Any Word of the Week receiving more than 10 posts will trigger a prize from Rattling Books for our favourite.

We also invite you to visit the original REDEFiNE iT facebook group from whence this blog of tangents sprang!