skua

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈskjuːə/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(skyo̅o̅′ə)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sku•a  (skyo̅o̅′ə),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. BirdsAlso called bonxie. any of several large brown gull-like predatory birds of the genus Catharacta, related to jaegers, esp. C. skua (great skua), of colder waters of both northern and southern seas.
  2. Birds[Brit.]jaeger (def. 1).
  • Faeroese skū(g)vur; cognate with Old Norse skūfr tassel, tuft, also skua (in poetry), akin to shove1
  • 1670–80

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
skua /ˈskjuːə/ n
  1. any predatory gull-like bird of the family Stercorariidae, such as the great skua or bonxie (Stercorarius skua) or arctic skua (S. parasiticus) both of which harass terns or gulls into dropping or disgorging fish they have caught
Etymology: 17th Century: from New Latin, from Faeroese skūgvur, from Old Norse skūfr
'skua' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bonxie - great skua - shoe

Forum discussions with the word(s) "skua" in the title:


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