Pochard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medium-sized diving duck found in Europe and Asia, characterized by a chestnut-red head and neck in breeding males
2. A freshwater diving duck with a distinctive reddish-brown head, common across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere
3. A diving waterfowl noted for its deep dives and the bright rufous coloring of its head, inhabiting lakes and large ponds

Etymology: The duck gets its name from a verb that once meant to poke or thrust. "Pochard" is apparently formed from "poach" in its old sense of "to poke," with the suffix "-ard" attached, so the name refers to a bird that dips and pokes its head under water to feed. The same root sits behind "poker," which shares the idea of prodding. The "-ard" ending is a familiar English suffix, seen in words like "drunkard" and "coward," and it often marks a person or creature characterized by a certain action or trait. Here it simply turns the poking verb into a noun for the diving duck. The verb "poach" in the sense of cooking an egg or fish is a different word, and the link to this duck name is only through the older "to poke" sense.

Synonyms: diving duck, duck