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n. 1. Any of several large, widely distributed marine diving birds of the genus Phalacrocorax, having dark plumage, webbed feet, and a slender hooked bill. 2. A greedy, rapacious person. adj. Greedy; rapacious. [Middle English cormoraunt, from Old French cormorant : probably corp, raven; see CORBEL + *marenc, of the sea (later attested in dialectal French (Sark) pie marange, oystercatcher, literally magpie of the sea, and ultimately from Latin mare, sea; see mori- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots), perhaps influenced by Breton mor, sea (as in morvran, cormorant, literally raven of the sea).]  (click for a larger image) cormorantdouble-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus |
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