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Meaning of "tern" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD TERN

From Old Norse therna; related to Norwegian terna, Swedish tärna.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF TERN

tern  [tɜːn] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TERN

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Tern is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES TERN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

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, but young birds are readily distinguishable from adults. Terns have a non-breeding plumage, which usually involves a white forehead and much-reduced black cap. The terns are birds of open habitats that typically breed in noisy colonies and lay their eggs on bare ground with little or no nest material. However, the marsh terns construct floating nests from the vegetation in their wetland habitats, and a few species build simple nests in trees, on cliffs or in crevices.

Definition of tern in the English dictionary

The definition of tern in the dictionary is any aquatic bird of the subfamily Sterninae, having a forked tail, long narrow wings, a pointed bill, and a typically black-and-white plumage: family Laridae, order Charadriiformes.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH TERN


Bern
bɜːn
Blackburn
ˈblækbɜːn
burn
bɜːn
concern
kənˈsɜːn
earn
ɜːn
extern
ˈɛkstɜːn
externe
ˈɛkstɜːn
fern
fɜːn
gerne
ɡɜːn
intern
ɪnˈtɜːn
interne
ˈɪntɜːn
kern
kɜːn
learn
lɜːn
pern
pɜːn
return
rɪˈtɜːn
Saturn
ˈsætɜːn
stern
stɜːn
Sterne
stɜːn
turn
tɜːn
urn
ɜːn

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TERN

termitic
termless
termly
termor
terms
terms of reference
terms of trade
termtime
termtime employment
ternal
ternaries
ternary
ternary form
ternate
ternately
terne
terne metal
terne plate
Terni
ternion

WORDS THAT END LIKE TERN

Bayern
discern
eastern
ern
govern
Kaiserslautern
lantern
Luzern
Malvern
Middle Eastern
modern
northeastern
northern
northwestern
pattern
southeastern
southern
southwestern
tavern
western

Synonyms and antonyms of tern in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «tern» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF TERN

Find out the translation of tern to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of tern from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «tern» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

燕鸥
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

golondrina de mar
570 millions of speakers

English

tern
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

टर्न
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الخرشنة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

крачка
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

tern
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ত্রয়ী
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

sterne
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tern
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

tern
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

アジサシ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

제비 갈매기
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Tern
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

số bộ ba
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கடற்பறவை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

टर्न
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

deniz kırlangıcı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

tern
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

rybitwa
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

крачка
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

tern
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

tern
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

stern
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

tärna
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tern
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of tern

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TERN»

The term «tern» is quite widely used and occupies the 24.767 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
89
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «tern» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of tern
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «tern».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TERN» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «tern» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «tern» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about tern

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TERN»

Discover the use of tern in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to tern and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Migrating with the Arctic Tern
Learn about the Arctic tern and its migration patterns.
Thessaly Catt, 2011
2
The Little Tern: A Story of Insight
The Little Tern is the enchanting story of a bird who one day discovers he has lost his ability to fly. Life becomes meaningless and, deserted by his airborne friends, he is left alone on the shore.
Brooke Newman, 2002
3
The Common Tern: Its Breeding Biology and Social Behavior
Glaucous-winged Gull Kelp Gull or Southern Black-backed Gull Great Black- backed Gull Black-legged Kittiwake Ivory Gull Terns Gull-billed Tern Caspian tern Royal Tern Crested Tern Lesser-crested Tern Chinese Crested Tern Elegant Tern ...
Joanna Burger, Michael Gochfeld, 1991
4
The Light at Tern Rock
Ronnie and his aunt take care of the lighthouse while the keeper is on vacation, and when he does not return as expected, they discover that Tern Rock is a perfect place to spend Christmas.
Julia Lina Sauer, 1994
5
International Wildlife Encyclopedia: Sweetfish - tree snake
TERN. Terns are lightly built seabirds, characterized by their fluttering flight. Together with the noddies (discussed elsewhere), they are classed in a subfamily of the gulls. There are over 30 species, usually smaller than gulls but differing little ...
‎2002
6
Sasol Southern African Birds: A Photographic Guide
Swift Tern Sterna bergii 46-49 cm Geelbeksterretjie This large coastal and pelagic tern might be confused with the much larger Caspian Tern and the smaller Lesser Crested Tern. The main differences between it and the former is its yellow, ...
Ian Sinclair, Ian Hugh Davidson, 1995
7
A Multi-level Study of Human Recreational Activity and Least ...
Gull predation in tern colonies is often the work of a small number of specialists ( Guillemette and Brousseau 2001, Kress and Hall 2004); it is possible that a few such individuals began foraging at this site late in the season. The tern colony ...
Kimberly A. Mendillo, 2009
8
Audubon: An Intimate Life of The American Woodsman
It was undoubtedly a tern, he could tell that by the shape of the bill. Had he collected a new species of "watter" bird? He was perplexed and set down: "Yet I do not Consider this a New Speci untill I see Willson's 9th. Volume." Eventually he ...
Stanley Clisby Arthur, 1937
9
American ornithology: or The natural history of the birds of ...
This is probably the brown tern mentioned by Wil- loughby, of which so many imperfect accounts have already been given. 251. stesita foliohtosa gmelin and wilson. boot! tern. wilson, plate lxxii. fid. vii. edinburgh college mcsegh. This bird has ...
Alexander Wilson, Charles Lucian Bonaparte, Robert Jameson, 1831
10
The collected works of Sir Humphry Davy ...: Discourses ...
Amounts brought forward $96,608 02 $856,820 23 James 0 Hani, jr., salary as Judge 12th District 2,209 96 J. \V. Menzies, allowance as Judge pro tern. October term, 1869, Kenton circuit court, $132 86 J. W. Menzies, allowance as Judge pro  ...
Sir Humphry Davy, John Davy, 1871

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TERN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term tern is used in the context of the following news items.
1
One good tern: birds bed down in Dublin Port Company's new nests
Five species of tern – more elegant and agile versions of gulls – visit Ireland in summer. The very similar common and Arctic terns have both adapted flexibly in ... «Irish Times, Jul 15»
2
WINGING IT: One good tern deserves another
New Hampshire Seacoast: Roseate Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Laughing Gull, Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Laughing Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Purple Martin, ... «Wicked Local Ipswich, Jul 15»
3
Arctic Tern, new Yellowknife company, publishes canoe route maps
Frustrated by the lack of a detailed canoe map for their paddling adventures, a local engineer and his partner have developed a series of waterproof maps and ... «CBC.ca, Jun 15»
4
Why Hennepin Island off southeastern shore of Lake Mille Lacs is …
But year after year, a colony of common terns returns to nest on a slice of this quarter-acre island. It's part of the two-island Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, ... «Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jun 15»
5
Tern looks forward to smarter bikes
But Tern isn't your usual bicycle manufacturer. Instead of rugged mountain bikes or speedy road bikes, the company specialises in a product invented in 1817 in ... «CNET, Jun 15»
6
Tern exec director on Cryptosoft's development
Al Sisto, executive director of AIM-listed Tern (LON:TERN) and chairman of Cryptosoft, discusses the changes that have happened at Tern's flagship investment. «Proactive Investors UK, May 15»
7
DARPA selects AeroVironment and Northrop for Tern Phase Two …
Tern, a joint programme between DARPA and the US Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR), is aimed to forward-deploy small ships as mobile launch and ... «Naval Technology, Mar 15»
8
Fairy tern tops seabird poll
The fairy tern and the Fiji petrel traded the lead in the poll several times. But a late surge saw it come out on top with 1882 votes. The Fiji petrel won 1801 votes, ... «Stuff.co.nz, Nov 14»
9
Fairy tern crowned NZ Seabird of the Year
Photo credit: David Hallett The fairy tern has won the New Zealand Seabird of the Year poll, after three weeks of close competition. The poll is run by the ... «Scoop.co.nz, Nov 14»
10
Killer soldier jailed for life over Shropshire barracks murder
Lance Corporal Richard Farrell, right, "brutally" attacked and killed 32-year-old Corporal Geoffrey McNeill, left, at the Clive Barracks at Tern Hill, Market Drayton ... «shropshirestar.com, Oct 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Tern [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/tern>. May 2024 ».
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