# duck

Pronunciation: say "DUK" /dʌk/

## Noun

1. A bird of the family Anatidae that lives on or near water and has webbed feet and a flattened bill.
   - Simple: A water bird with a flat beak and skin between its toes that helps it swim.
   - _A duck glided across the pond, leaving a small wake behind it._
   - _Hunters wait in blinds at dawn for ducks to settle on the marsh._
3. Meat from the duck, as prepared and served for eating.
   - Simple: The meat of a duck, eaten as food.
   - _The restaurant serves roast duck with a plum sauce._
   - _Duck is fattier than chicken and pairs well with fruit sauces._
7. An adult female duck, as contrasted with the male drake and with a young duckling.
   - Simple: An adult female duck. The male is called a drake.
   - _The duck led her brood across the road while the drake trailed behind._
   - _Breeders keep one drake for every five ducks in the flock._
6. In cricket, a batsman's score of zero upon getting out; short for duck's egg.
   - Simple: In cricket, a score of zero when a player gets out before scoring.
   - _The captain was dismissed for a duck in the opening over._
   - _Three ducks in a row put his place on the team in doubt._
9. A friendly or affectionate term of address, like 'dear', 'love' or 'pet'. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: A friendly word for someone you are talking to, like 'dear' or 'love', used mostly in parts of England.
   - _There now, duck, dry your eyes and have some tea._
   - _Happy birthday, duck. You don't look a day older._
10. A person of a certain sort, nearly always with a describing adjective in front, as in a lucky duck or an odd duck. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person of a certain type, almost always with a word like lucky or odd before it.
   - _Grandma survived two hip operations and still gardens every day; she's one tough old duck._
   - _Some of the smartest people I've ever worked with were real odd ducks._
11. A heavy, closely woven cloth, usually cotton, of the kind used for sails, tents and work clothes.
   - Simple: A strong, tightly woven cloth, usually cotton, used to make sails, tents and work clothes.
   - _The sailmaker ordered several yards of duck for the new mainsail._
   - _The porch awning was made of duck that had faded after years of sun._
12. A vehicle that travels on roads and floats on water: at first the wartime DUKW truck, and now often one used for sightseeing tours.
   - Simple: A vehicle that can drive on roads and also float on water, often used for tours.
   - _Our duck tour left from the aquarium, drove past the old courthouse, and then plunged into the harbor._
   - _During the reenactment, several restored wartime ducks rumbled off the beach and floated out into the bay._
13. Trousers made of duck, a heavy, closely woven cloth, usually cotton.
   - Simple: Pants made of duck, a strong, tightly woven cloth, usually cotton.
   - _Officers in crisp white ducks lined the rail as the ship entered the harbor._
   - _His ducks were stained with tar after a day's work on the docks._

## Verb

2. To lower the head or body quickly, especially to avoid being hit or seen, or briefly in greeting or respect.
   - Simple: To quickly lower your head or body, often to avoid being hit.
   - _Sailors duck their heads when the boom swings across the deck._
   - _Everyone ducked their heads as the helicopter passed low overhead._
4. To dodge or get out of doing something, particularly a duty or obligation.
   - Simple: To avoid doing something that you are supposed to do.
   - _Politicians often duck questions about their voting records._
   - _He ducked jury duty twice by claiming scheduling conflicts._
5. To go quickly into or out of a place, often briefly or to avoid being noticed. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To go quickly into or out of a place, often for a short time.
   - _I need to duck into the bank before it closes._
   - _He ducked into a doorway to answer his phone._
8. To plunge someone or something briefly under water, or to dip briefly under the surface oneself.
   - Simple: To push someone or something quickly under water and pull it back up, or to go under quickly yourself.
   - _Swimmers sometimes duck their friends under the waves as a joke._
   - _At the swimming hole, the older boys liked to grab the newcomers and duck them under the water for a second or two._

## Other meanings

- (verb) In audio mixing, to lower the level of one sound so that the rest of the mix comes through more clearly.
- (noun) A small stack of stones, or cairn, used to mark a hiking trail.
- (noun) A building deliberately constructed in the shape of an everyday object connected with its purpose.
- (noun) A playing card with the rank of two; a deuce.
- (noun) A portable urinal with a long neck, used by men who are confined to bed.
- (noun) A marble placed as a target, to be shot at with another marble, the shooter, in children's games.
- (noun) Synonym of lame duck: a trader who cannot meet their contracts or pay their debts.
- (noun) A water-filled cave passage with little or no airspace between the water and the roof.
- (noun) A weight used to hold a flexible spline in place while a smooth curve is drawn.
- (verb) To leave a rubber duck on someone's parked Jeep, without being seen, as a friendly gesture.
- (noun) A man forced or pressured into a homosexual relationship, especially in prison.
- (noun) A meatball made from chopped offal, otherwise known as a faggot.

## Origin

**Meanings 2, 4–5, 8** — Old English *dūcan, meaning "to dip, dive, duck," gave Middle English ducken, meaning "to duck, plunge under water, submerge." Further back it goes via Proto-West Germanic to Proto-Germanic *dūkaną, which meant "to dip, dive, stoop." German ducken, Danish dykke ("to dive"), and Dutch duiken are related.
**Meanings 1, 3, 6–7, 10, 12** — From Middle English doke, from Old English duce ("duck," literally "dipper, diver, ducker"), from the same Proto-Germanic root *dūkaną ("to dive, bend down") as the verb. Cognates include Dutch duiker ("diving bird") and German Taucher ("diving bird"), both literally meaning "diver."
**Meanings 11, 13** — From Dutch doek ("linen cloth"), from Middle Dutch doeck, going back through Proto-West Germanic to Proto-Germanic *dōkaz ("cloth, rag") and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *dwōg-. It is cognate with German Tuch ("cloth") and Swedish duk ("cloth, canvas").
**Meaning 9** — A regional term of endearment from central England, common in the Potteries around Stoke-on-Trent and in the Black Country. Its deeper origin is unclear, though Danish and Swedish have similar words meaning "doll."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/duck (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).