duck

duck · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic*dūkaną
2. Proto-West Germanic*dūkan
3. Old English*dūcan
4. Middle Englishducken
5. English todayduck

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”).

duck · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic*dūkaną
2. Proto-West Germanic*dūkan
3. Old Englishdū̆ce
4. Middle Englishdoke
5. English todayduck

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”)).

duck · noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dwōg-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*dōkaz“cloth, rag”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*dōk
4. Old Dutch · derived from*dōc
5. Middle Dutch · derived fromdoeck
6. Dutch · borrowed fromdoek
7. English todayduck

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.

duck · noun⁴

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”).

duck · verb⁵

Denominal verb of duck (noun) and ellipsis of rubber duck

Duck · proper noun⁶

1. Middle English · derived fromdoke“duck”
2. English todayDuck

The surname is originally a nickname from Middle English doke (“duck”). See duck.

Words from the same roots