A large seabird, especially a type of petrel or shearwater found in northern oceans.
From Old Norse 'hægri' meaning 'to swing' or 'rock,' combined with 'don' possibly referring to a type of diving bird. The term entered English through maritime vocabulary of Scandinavian origin, used by sailors to describe birds seen at sea.
Hagdon appears in Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' and other nautical literature, where sailors gave creatures at sea evocative names based on behavior and appearance—this word captures the rocking, diving motion these seabirds make on the water.
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