Duck

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /dʌk/

Definitions

1. A waterbird with a broad flat bill, short legs, and webbed feet that swims and often dives for food
2. A type of bird characterized by its flat bill, short stature, and webbed feet that primarily inhabits aquatic environments and is known for both swimming and foraging
3. This avian species, found in freshwater and saltwater settings, features distinct adaptations like a broad bill and streamlined body for efficient swimming and foraging

Etymology: The bird is named for its diving. Old English "dūce" meant "diver" or "dipper," and it came from the verb "dūcan," "to dip, dive, bend down." So the creature was known by what it did rather than by how it looked, and the verb "to duck," meaning to dip under water or lower the head quickly, grew from the same root. The verb and the noun are therefore siblings. Middle English "ducken" meant "to plunge under water," and the bird's name was reinforced by the same sense of plunging. Related forms appear across the Germanic languages: Dutch "duiken" means "to dive," while Dutch "duiker" is a diving bird, and German "Taucher" is a diver or grebe. Russian "nyrók," a pochard, shares the same pattern of meaning, linking the bird to the act of diving.

Synonyms: waterfowl, quacker, mallard, drake, hen

Antonyms: eagle, hawk, falcon, sparrow, bird of prey