Animals, plants & weatherMyths & disputes

penguin

Penguin first named the great auk of the North Atlantic, and sailors moved the name to the southern birds that looked like it. Whether it comes from Welsh pen gwyn 'white head' is still debated; either way, Dutch and English voyagers spread it to nearly every language, from French pingouin to Japanese pengin.

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The story you may have heard

That penguin is plainly Welsh for 'white head'. The idea is respectable but unproven: the great auk had a black head, and Latin pinguis 'fat' is a rival source.

The road to English

From English to Dutch, French

From Dutch to German

From English to Spanish

From English to Italian

From English to Portuguese

From Dutch to Russian

From English to Japanese

From English to Korean

From English to Modern Hebrew

1500Welsh

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

penguin

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The road to English

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