Duckweed

//ˈdʌkˌwid// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of several reduced floating aquatic plants in the subfamily Lemnoideae of the family Araceae. countable, uncountable

    "He that vvould diſcern the rudimentall ſtroak of a plant, may behold it in the Originall of Duckvveed, at the bigneſſe of a pins point, from convenient vvater in glaſſes, vvherein a vvatchfull eye may alſo diſcover the puncticular Originals of Perivvincles and Gnats."

  2. 2
    any small or minute aquatic plant of the family Lemnaceae that float on or near the surface of shallow ponds wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
duckmeatducksmeatflower

Example

More examples

"The duckweed took over the aquarium."

Etymology

From duck + weed. Supposedly so-named for often being consumed by ducks and other waterfowl. Compare Middle English dokemete (“duckweed”, literally “duck-food”).

Related phrases

Valdivia duckweedcommon duckweedduckweed ferngibbous duckweedgreat duckweedgreater duckweedivy duckweedlarger duckweedleast duckweedlesser duckweedminute duckweedstar duckweed

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.