Duck
/dʌk/noun
A waterbird with a broad bill and webbed feet.
Did you know?English duck is a very old word, and while its exact pre-English history is uncertain, it is linked to an ancient root meaning “to bend” or “to curve,” fitting a bird that dips and dives into water.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
EN
duce
“a duck”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dukkō / *duk-
“a duck; possibly connected with the idea of bending or dipping”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deuk-
“to lead, draw, or guide; a proposed distant root sometimes compared in older scholarship, but the bird word’s origin is uncertain”
Middle English
EN
duk
“a duck”
Modern English
EN
duck
“a waterbird with a broad bill and webbed feet”