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pingouin

penguin

noun pan-GWAN Rare

Also means

razorbill (auk)

Usage Note

Pingouin strictly refers to auks (Northern Hemisphere birds) in scientific French, while the Antarctic bird is technically le manchot. However, in everyday speech pingouin is widely used for penguins. Learners should know that some French speakers use manchot for precision.

Examples

"Le pingouin glisse sur la glace."

Natural Translation

The penguin slides on the ice.

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