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Duck
Definitions
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
- 2 A town in North Carolina.
- 3 An unincorporated community in West Virginia.
- 4 Ellipsis of architectural duck abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 1 A cave passage containing water with low, or no, airspace.
- 2 An aquatic bird of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet. countable, uncountable
"Matsumoto Castle exhibits the architecture of both war and peace, from its steep wooden stairs, hidden inner levels and archer’s perches to the moon-viewing room added in 1630, which also offers a vantage point for viewing the brocaded carps and ducks residing in the castle moat."
- 3 A tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth. countable, uncountable
"He was dressed in a Jaeger vest—a pair of blue duck trousers, fastened round the waist with a plaited leather belt."
- 4 A term of endearment; pet; darling.
"[…]and hold-faſt is the onely Dogge: My Ducke[…]"
- 5 small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs wordnet
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 Specifically, an adult female duck; contrasted with drake and with duckling. countable, uncountable
- 7 Trousers made of such material. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"And they would go up and find old Allington, in white ducks, standing in the fringe of long grasses and cow-parsley on the other edge of the island, looking to his poultry or his rabbits."
- 8 Dear, mate (informal way of addressing a friend or stranger). Midlands
"Ay up duck, ow'a'tha?"
- 9 a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave; used for clothing and tents wordnet
- 10 The flesh of a duck used as food. uncountable
- 11 flesh of a duck (domestic or wild) wordnet
- 12 A batsman's score of zero after getting out. (Short for duck's egg.) countable, uncountable
- 13 (cricket) a score of nothing by a batsman wordnet
- 14 A playing card with the rank of two. countable, slang, uncountable
- 15 Ellipsis of architectural duck; a building intentionally constructed in the shape of an everyday object to which it is related. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"A luncheonette in the shape of a coffee cup is particularly conspicuous, as is intended of an architectural duck or folly."
- 16 A marble to be shot at with another marble (the shooter) in children's games. countable, uncountable
- 17 A cairn used to mark a trail. US, countable, uncountable
- 18 One of the weights used to hold a spline in place for the purpose of drawing a curve. countable, uncountable
- 19 Synonym of lame duck (“one who cannot fulfil their contracts”). countable, dated, slang, uncountable
- 20 A long-necked medical urinal for men; a bed urinal. countable, uncountable
- 21 A faggot; a meatball made from offal. UK, countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable
- 22 Synonym of bitch (“a man forced or coerced into a homosexual relationship, especially in prison”). US, countable, slang, uncountable
"The more passive males are subjected to physical violence. I was subjected to being what they call a punk or a duck, which is someone else's power trip, that's all."
- 1 To quickly lower (the head or body), often in order to prevent it from being struck by something. transitive
"As some raw youth in country bred, To arms by thirst of honour led, When at a skirmish first he hears The bullets whistling round his ears, Will duck his head aside"
- 2 To surreptitiously leave a rubber duck on someone's parked Jeep as an act of kindness (see Jeep ducking). transitive
"The couple has gotten messages from people they've ducked saying how happy it made them, and even some saying they might also start ducking."
- 3 avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues) wordnet
- 4 To lower (something) into water; to thrust or plunge under liquid and suddenly withdraw. transitive
"Adams after ducking the Squire tvvice or thrice leaped out of the Tub, […]"
- 5 to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away wordnet
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- 6 To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to plunge one's head into water or other liquid. intransitive
"[…]In Tiber ducking thrice, by break of day[…]"
- 7 submerge or plunge suddenly wordnet
- 8 To bow. intransitive
"The Learned pate / Duckes to the Golden Foole."
- 9 dip into a liquid wordnet
- 10 To evade doing something, especially something considered a responsibility. figuratively, transitive
"Victorian women choosing to duck the demands of domestic life to spend their time doing something they enjoyed is hardly a novel idea."
- 11 To lower the volume of (a sound) so that other sounds in the mix can be heard more clearly. transitive
"The music is ducked under the voice."
- 12 To enter a place for a short moment. colloquial, intransitive
"I'm just going to duck into the loo for a minute; can you hold my bag?"
Etymology
From Middle English ducken, duken, douken (“to duck, plunge under water, submerge”), from Old English *dūcan (“to dip, dive, duck”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūkan, from Proto-Germanic *dūkaną (“to dip, dive, bend down, stoop, duck”). Cognates Related to Scots dulk (“to duck”), Middle Dutch ducken (“to duck”), Low German ducken (“to duck”), German ducken (“to duck”), Danish dukke, dykke (“to dive”). Related also to Scots dook, douk (“to bathe, drench, soak, baptise”), West Frisian dûke (“to plunge, dive”), Dutch duiken (“to dive, plunge, duck”), Low German duken (“to duck, dive, stoop”), German tauchen (“to dive, plunge, immerse, duck”), Swedish dyka (“to dive, submerge”).
From Middle English ducken, duken, douken (“to duck, plunge under water, submerge”), from Old English *dūcan (“to dip, dive, duck”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūkan, from Proto-Germanic *dūkaną (“to dip, dive, bend down, stoop, duck”). Cognates Related to Scots dulk (“to duck”), Middle Dutch ducken (“to duck”), Low German ducken (“to duck”), German ducken (“to duck”), Danish dukke, dykke (“to dive”). Related also to Scots dook, douk (“to bathe, drench, soak, baptise”), West Frisian dûke (“to plunge, dive”), Dutch duiken (“to dive, plunge, duck”), Low German duken (“to duck, dive, stoop”), German tauchen (“to dive, plunge, immerse, duck”), Swedish dyka (“to dive, submerge”).
From Middle English doke, ducke, dukke, dokke, douke, duke, from Old English duce, dūce (“duck”, literally “dipper, diver, ducker”), from Old English *dūcan (“to dip, dive, duck”), from Proto-West Germanic *dūkan, from Proto-Germanic *dūkaną (“to dive, bend down”). See verb above. Cognates Cognate with Scots duik, duke, dook (“duck”), Danish dukand, dykand (“sea-duck”), Swedish dykfågel (“a diver, diving bird, plungeon”), Dutch duiker (“diving bird, loon”, literally “diver, dipper, plunger”), German Low German Düker (“diving bird, loon”, literally “diver”), German Taucher (“diving bird, loon, grebe”, literally “diver, plunger”). For the meaning development compare Russian ныро́к (nyrók, “pochard”) (< ныря́ть (nyrjátʹ, “to dive”)).
From Dutch doek, from Middle Dutch doeck, doec (“linen cloth”), from Old Dutch *dōc, from Proto-West Germanic *dōk, from Proto-Germanic *dōkaz (“cloth, rag”), from Proto-Indo-European *dwōg-, *dwōk-. Cognate with German Tuch (“cloth”), Swedish duk (“cloth, canvas”), Icelandic dúkur (“cloth, fabric”). Doublet of doek.
Potteries dialect, Black Country dialect and dialects of the former territory of Mercia (central England). Compare Danish dukke (“doll”), Swedish docka (“baby; doll”), dialectal English doxy (“sweetheart”).
Denominal verb of duck (noun) and ellipsis of rubber duck
The surname is originally a nickname from Middle English doke (“duck”). See duck.
See also for "duck"
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