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Definition of adelie penguin
adelie penguin
Plural:Adelie penguins
adelie penguin Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A species of medium-sized penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) characterized by a distinctive white ring surrounding the eye, black plumage covering the head, back, and tail, and a white belly, native to the entire coast of the Antarctic continent.
Example
"During the brief Antarctic summer, millions of Adelie penguins gather in massive coastal colonies to breed and raise their chicks."
Word Origin & Etymology
Named in 1840 by the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville after his wife, Adèle, and the adjacent region of Antarctica he claimed as Adélie Land.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Adelie penguin. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/adelie penguin