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tern (n.)
gull-like shore bird (subfamily Sterninae), 1670s, via East Anglian dialect, from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish terne, Swedish tärna, Færoese terna) related to Old Norse þerna "tern" (also "maid-servant"), cognate with Old English stearn.
updated on January 20, 2014
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Definitions of tern from WordNet
Dictionary entries near tern
terminer
terminology
terminus
termite
terms
tern
ternary
Terpsichore
terpsichorean
terr
terra