Home UK English mew gull

Meaning of mew gull in English:

mew gull

noun

mainly North American
another term for common gull
‘Dainty mew gulls and the even smaller Bonaparte's were the most numerous gulls in this mixed bag.’
  • ‘The most common are the glaucous-winged gulls, mew gulls, black-legged kittiwakes, and Bonaparte's gulls.’
  • ‘Herring gulls can be separated from mew gulls by their larger size, pink legs, and larger bill with a subterminal red spot.’
  • ‘Other gulls in the area are mew gulls, ring-billed gulls, western gulls, and California gulls, Bonaparte gulls, Sabine's, Thayer's, and Franklin gulls.’

Origin

Mid 19th century mew (in Old English meau ‘mew gull’), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch meeuw and German Möwe.