Eider
/ˈaɪ.dər/noun
A large sea duck of northern regions, especially the common eider, whose soft down is used as insulation.
Did you know?Eider down was historically collected from abandoned nests, and the female eider is known for plucking down from her own breast to line and protect her eggs.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval North Germanic
Old Norse
æðr
“The eider duck; the precise deeper origin is uncertain.”
13th–14th Century
Icelandic
æðr
“Eider, a northern sea duck whose down was valued for warmth.”
16th Century
English
eider
“A borrowing used for the northern sea duck.”
17th Century
English
eider-down
“The soft insulating down of the eider duck.”
Modern English
English
eider
“A sea duck of the genus Somateria, especially the common eider.”
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