[Prov. English alk; akin to Danish alke, Icelandic & Swedish alka.]
(Zoology) A name given to various species of arctic sea birds of the family Alcida. The great auk, now extinct, is Alca impennis (orPlautus impennis). The razor-billed auk is Alca torda. See Puffin, Guillemot, and Murre.