# penguin

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/ · frequency rank #9,935

## Definitions
1. Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual upright stance, walking on short legs, and (generally) their stark black and white plumage.
2. An auk (sometimes especially a great auk), a bird of the Northern Hemisphere.
3. A nun.
4. A type of catch where the palm of the hand is facing towards the leg with the arm stretched downward, resembling the flipper of a penguin.
5. A spiny bromeliad with egg-shaped fleshy fruit, Bromelia pinguin.
6. A member of the air force who does not fly aircraft.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Celtic *kʷennom
Proto-Brythonic *penn
Welsh pen?
Proto-Indo-European *weyd-der.?
Proto-Celtic *windos
Proto-Brythonic *gwɨnn
Welsh gwyn?
Proto-Indo-European *peyh₂-der.
Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ-influ.?
Latin pinguisder.?
English penguin
Uncertain. First attested in the 16th century in reference to the auk of the Northern hemisphere; the word was later applied to the superficially similar birds of the Southern hemisphere (as was woggin). Possibly from Welsh pen (“head”) and gwyn (“white”), or from Latin pinguis (“fat”). See citations and the Wikipedia article.
Sense 3 originates from the often black-and-white habit worn by nuns, which resemble the bird's colors.

## Common misspellings (10)
`epnguin`, `pegnuin`, `pengguin`, `pengiun`, `penguinn`, `penguni`, `pennguin`, `penugin`, `pneguin`, `ppenguin`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/penguin