noun
loon
LOON/luːn/
A diving waterbird with a distinctive call.
The loon swims low on the lake, its bill open to call.
Etymology
The link to the older bird name loom is probable rather than certain. That name already denoted the diving bird, but the evidence does not explain what originally motivated the name.
In context
On a distant lake, a female loon guards her lone chick. The male dives for minnows.
More examples
- We hear a loon's haunting call across the water.
- Two loons swim past our canoe.
- The loon carries its chick on its back.
Forms
loon · loons