Duckweeds

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of small, floating aquatic plants belonging to the family Lemnaceae, often found on the surface of still or slow-moving waters
2. These plants primarily reproduce asexually through vegetative means and serve as important habitats for aquatic organisms
3. Commonly utilized in water treatment processes due to their ability to absorb nutrients and pollutants from water bodies

Etymology: Duckweeds are the plural of "duckweed", the tiny floating plants that carpet still ponds. The name is a plain compound of "duck" and "weed", and the explanation usually given is that ducks and other waterfowl eat the plants, which is why the name stuck. That reason is offered as a supposition rather than a proven fact, but the older form supports it: Middle English had "dokemete", literally "duck-food", for the same plant. The English word "weed" here was once a general term for a plant, not only an unwanted one, so the name simply describes a small green growth that ducks feed on.

Synonyms: lemna, water plant