Auk (?), n. [Prov. E. alk; akin to Dan. alke, Icel. & Sw. alka.] Zool.
A name given to various species of arctic sea birds of the family Alcidae. The great auk, now extinct, is Alca (∨ Plautus) impennis. The razor-billed auk is A. torda. See Puffin, Guillemot, and Murre.
© Webster 1913.