Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Shearwater \Shear"wa`ter\, n. [Shear + water; cf. G.
   wassersherer; -- so called from its running lightly along the
   surface of the water.] (Zo["o]l.)
   Any one of numerous species of long-winged oceanic birds of
   the genus {Puffinus} and related genera. They are allied to
   the petrels, but are larger. The Manx shearwater ({P.
   Anglorum}), the dusky shearwater ({P. obscurus}), and the
   greater shearwater ({P. major}), are well-known species of
   the North Atlantic. See {Hagdon}.