mol·ly·mawk

(mŏl′ē-môk′)

An albatross, especially one of the genus Thalassarche, found in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Alteration (influenced by Molly, nickname for Mary) of Dutch mallemok : mal, foolish (of unknown origin; probably applied to the birds because sailors found them easy to catch) + mok, seagull (of unknown origin).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

mollymawk

(ˈmɒlɪˌmɔːk)

(Animals) NZ an informal name for mallemuck

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mol•ly•mawk

(ˈmɒl iˌmɔk)

n.

any of various medium-sized tube-nosed seabirds, as the fulmar and, in Australian and New Zealand waters, the smaller species of albatross.

[1685–95; < Dutch mallemok=malle, variant of mal foolish + mok < Norwegian mak mew²]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

mollymawk - large web-footed birds of the southern hemisphere having long narrow wings; noted for powerful gliding flight

albatross

oceanic bird, pelagic bird - bird of the open seas

Diomedeidae, family Diomedeidae - albatrosses

Diomedea exulans, wandering albatross - very large albatross; white with wide black wings

black-footed albatross, Diomedea nigripes, gooney, gooney bird, goonie, goony - a variety of albatross with black feet

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Ross Hobson, of Ponteland, was taking part in the Route du Rhum yacht race in November 2006 when his catamaran, named Mollymawk, was flipped over in high seas.

Bahamas landing for capsized yacht; Boat washed up two years after sinking

SHE was capsized in the stormy Atlantic Ocean when Northumberland yachtsman Ross Hobson last saw his racing catamaran Mollymawk.

Boat washes up two years after sinking

48 Mollymawk and gooney are old nicknames for which seabird?

50 for fun; Phil Brown's trivia quiz

Scores of dolphins, shoals of barracuda and basking fur seals provide a bonus as a graceful mollymawk, a small albatross, glides by.

Mirror Travel: New Zealand: The essential two-week holiday guide; It's never been easier, or cheaper, to travel farther than ever before. So we've sent Mirror writers off to the corners of the globe to bring you a real taste of foreign adventure. This week, Mike Slate discovers Kiwi charm

Chemical composition and calorific value of food fed to Mollymawk chicks Diomedea melanophris and D.

Alternative foraging strategies and resource allocation by male and female wandering albatrosses

ROSS Hobson was competing in the Route du Rhum race from St Malo in France to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean when the Ideal Stelrad, formerly the Mollymawk, capsized.

The wild sea is still calling me; Ocean race survivor rethinks decision to quit

Dental lecturer Ross Hobson, 45, set out from Plymouth on Sunday for the gruelling 3,500-mile Faraday Mill Original Single-handed Transatlantic Race on his 45ft trimaran Mollymawk.

Yacht record hopes over

Earlier this month his trimaran Mollymawk was damaged when she hit an object in the sea on a training trip.

Sailor keeps fingers crossed

ROSS Hobson has won races, broken records - and suffered disasters and accidents - during his 15 years aboard Mollymawk.

Ship saves lone sailor; Horrendous winds overturn trimaran in mid-Atlantic

Dental lecturer Ross Hobson, 45, smashed the 30-year-old world record for a transatlantic crossing by a massive 14 hours in August last year with his ageing trimaran Mollymawk. With the help of a two-man crew, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 14 days and six hours.

Sailor in solo voyage