Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, slender seabird of the gull family (Laridae), characterized by narrow wings, a forked tail, and graceful flight. Terns are often found near coasts and inland waters, where they dive for fish.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • We watched a tern dive into the water to catch a fish.
  • A colony of Arctic terns nests on the island every summer.
  • The common tern is easily identified by its black cap and red bill.

Advanced Usage

• "tern of years": An archaic or literary phrase referring to a period or set of three years.
  • He served a tern of years as the council's chairman.
• "tern of success": A rare, specialized term in some lotteries or games, referring to a set of three winning numbers.
  • Hitting the tern in the old lottery was a rare feat.

Variants and Related Words

• Ternate (adj): Arranged in threes or having three parts. (Note: This is a separate word related to the number three, not directly to the bird).
  • The plant has ternate leaves.
• Sea tern: A common descriptive compound for the bird.
• Sandwich tern: A specific species of tern ().

Synonyms

• Sea swallow: A poetic or informal name for a tern, referring to its graceful, swallow-like flight.
• Gull (specific types): While "gull" is a broader family term, specific terns are sometimes referred to by their full names (e.g., "Arctic gull" for Arctic tern in informal contexts).

Related Phrases

• "To turn like a tern": A descriptive phrase highlighting the bird's agile, turning flight.
  • The small aircraft could turn like a tern in the sky.

Related Idioms

• None commonly associated directly with the bird "tern." The word is primarily used in its literal ornithological sense. Idioms typically use the homophone "turn."

Noun

1. small slender gull having narrow wings and a forked tail