Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small seabird: "storm-petrel" refers to any of various small seabirds of the family Hydrobatidae, typically dark in colour with a white rump, known for flying low over the ocean surface and often appearing during storms.

Usage Examples

• (A small seabird appeared near the ocean surface in stormy conditions.)
• (Sailors thought these birds signaled approaching storms.)

Advanced Usage

• "storm-petrel" as a symbol: In literature or metaphor, "storm-petrel" can represent a person who thrives in or foreshadows turbulent or chaotic situations.
  • The journalist was a storm-petrel of political upheaval, always appearing where unrest was brewing. (The journalist seemed to predict or be drawn to conflict.)

Variants and Related Words

• Storm-petrel (alternative spelling): The same bird, sometimes written without a hyphen as "storm petrel".
• Petrel (n): A general term for seabirds in the order Procellariiformes, including storm-petrels.
  • The petrel family includes many species adapted to life on the open ocean.

Synonyms

• Mother Carey's chicken: A folk name for the storm-petrel, especially the European storm-petrel ().
• Storm bird: An informal synonym, though sometimes used for other birds associated with storms.

Related Idioms

• "A storm-petrel": Used figuratively to describe someone who brings or predicts trouble.
  • He was a storm-petrel in the office, always stirring up controversy. (He was a person who caused or foreshadowed conflict.)

Notes on Usage

• The word "storm-petrel" is primarily a zoological term and is most common in ornithology or maritime contexts. It is rarely used in everyday conversation unless discussing seabirds or nautical folklore.