duck

duck
{{11}}duck (n.1) waterfowl, O.E. duce (found only in gen. ducan) "a duck," lit. "a ducker," presumed to be from O.E. *ducan "to duck, dive" (see DUCK (Cf. duck) (v.)), replaced O.E. ened as the name for the bird, this being from PIE *aneti-, the root of the "duck" noun in most I.E. languages.
In the domestic state the females greatly exceed in number, hence duck serves at once as the name of the female and of the race, drake being a specific term of sex. [OED]
As a term of endearment, attested from 1580s. duck-walk is 1930s; duck soup "anything easily done" is from 1908. Duck's ass haircut is from 1951. Ducks-and-drakes, skipping flat stones on water, is from 1580s; the figurative sense of "throwing something away recklessly" is c.1600.
{{12}}duck (n.2) "strong, untwilled linen (later cotton) fabric," used for sails and sailors' clothing, 1630s, from Du. doeck "linen cloth" (M.Du. doec), related to Ger. Tuch "piece of cloth," Dan. dug, O.Fris. dok, O.H.G. tuoh, all of unknown origin.
{{12}}duck (v.) "to plunge into" (trans.), c.1300; to suddenly go under water (intrans.), mid-14c., from presumed O.E. *ducan "to duck," found only in derivative duce (n.) "duck" (but there are cognate words in other Germanic languages, Cf. O.H.G. tuhhan "to dip," Ger. tauchen "to dive," O.Fris. duka, M.Du. duken "to dip, dive," Du. duiken), from P.Gmc. *dukjan. Sense of "bend, stoop quickly" is first recorded in English 1520s. Related: Ducked; ducking. The noun is attested from 1550s in the sense of "quick stoop;" meaning "a plunge, dip" is from 1843.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • DUCK — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Duck peut faire référence à : « canard » en anglais ; « se pencher » en anglais, comme dans le titre du film Duck and Cover …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Duck — Duck, n. [OE. duke, doke. See {Duck}, v. t. ] 1. (Zool.) Any bird of the subfamily {Anatin[ae]}, family {Anatid[ae]}. [1913 Webster] Note: The genera and species are numerous. They are divided into {river ducks} and {sea ducks}. Among the former… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • duck — Ⅰ. duck [1] ► NOUN (pl. same or ducks) 1) a waterbird with a broad blunt bill, short legs, webbed feet, and a waddling gait. 2) the female of such a bird. Contrasted with DRAKE(Cf. ↑drake). 3) (also ducks) Brit. informal …   English terms dictionary

  • duck — duck; duck·er; duck·let; duck·ling; geo·duck; mal·duck; shel·duck; shell·duck; duck·ing; goo·ey·duck; …   English syllables

  • Duck — Duck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ducked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Ducking}.] [OE. duken, douken, to dive; akin to D. duiken, OHG. t?hhan, MHG. tucken, t[ u]cken, t?chen, G. tuchen. Cf. 5th {Duck}.] 1. To thrust or plunge under water or other liquid and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • duck — duck1 [duk] n. [ME doke < OE duce, lit., diver, ducker < base of * ducan, to plunge, dive (see DUCK2); replaces OE ened (akin to Ger ente), common Gmc word for the bird ] 1. pl. ducks or duck any of a large number of relatively small… …   English World dictionary

  • duck|y — «DUHK ee», adjective, duck|i|er, duck|i|est, noun, plural duck|ies. Informal. –adj. 1. darling; charmi …   Useful english dictionary

  • Dück — ist der Name folgender Personen: Alexander Dück (* 1980), deutscher Eishockeyspieler Anton von Dück (1801–1866), österreichischer Kaufmann und Politiker Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • duck — dək n, pl ducks or duck any of various swimming birds (family Anatidae, the duck family) in which the neck and legs are short, the feet typically webbed, the bill often broad and flat, and the sexes usu. different from each other in plumage …   Medical dictionary

  • Duck — (d[u^]k), v. i. 1. To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to dive; to plunge the head in water or other liquid; to dip. [1913 Webster] In Tiber ducking thrice by break of day. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. To drop the head or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Duck — (d[u^]k), n. [Cf. Dan. dukke, Sw. docka, OHG. doccha, G. docke. Cf. {Doxy}.] A pet; a darling. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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