mother carey's chicken: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowArchaic, Nautical, Literary
Quick answer
What does “mother carey's chicken” mean?
A sailor's nickname for a storm petrel, a small seabird.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A sailor's nickname for a storm petrel, a small seabird.
A folkloric or poetic term for storm petrels, often associated with sailors' superstitions and seen as an omen of bad weather or a storm.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Equally archaic and rare in both varieties. Slightly more likely to appear in British maritime literature due to historical naval tradition.
Connotations
Evokes old sailing ships, superstition, and the romance or danger of the sea.
Frequency
Extremely rare in modern usage. Almost exclusively found in 19th/early 20th-century texts, poetry, or historical accounts.
Grammar
How to Use “mother carey's chicken” in a Sentence
[Subject: Sailors/Old texts] + call/term + [Object: the storm petrel] + Mother Carey's chicken.A [Noun: sighting/flock] of Mother Carey's chickens + [Verb: appeared/foretold].Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in historical, literary, or ornithological papers discussing archaic nautical terminology.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Not a standard ornithological term; the scientific name (e.g., Hydrobatidae) is used.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “mother carey's chicken”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “mother carey's chicken”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “mother carey's chicken”
- Misspelling as 'Mother Carey's chickens' (plural) when referring to the species term generically is acceptable, but the singular form is the standard lexical entry.
- Using it in modern contexts without signalling its archaic/nautical flavour.
- Confusing it with other seabirds like albatrosses or gulls.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a folk name for a small seabird called a storm petrel.
It is likely a sailors' corruption of the Latin 'Mater Cara' (Dear Mother) or the Italian 'Madre Cara', referring to the Virgin Mary as a protective figure for sailors.
No, it is considered an archaic term. Modern sailors and scientists use the term 'storm petrel'.
It would sound very unusual and old-fashioned. It is best reserved for historical or literary discussions about the sea.
A sailor's nickname for a storm petrel, a small seabird.
Mother carey's chicken is usually archaic, nautical, literary in register.
Mother carey's chicken: in British English it is pronounced /ˌmʌðə ˌkeəriz ˈtʃɪkɪn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌmʌðər ˌkeriz ˈtʃɪkən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Mother Carey is plucking her goose (sailor's saying for snow falling).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine an old sailor named Carey shouting, "Mother! The chickens are flying!" as small birds (petrels) signal a storm.
Conceptual Metaphor
BIRD AS OMEN / THE SEA AS A DOMESTIC SPHERE (chickens in a farmyard).
Practice
Quiz
What is 'Mother Carey's chicken'?