Etymology

eider

E1I1D2E1R1

Today it means: Any of the species of Somateria spp. and Polysticta stelleri or of the seaduck subfamily Merginae, which line their nests with fine down (taken from their own bodies). Full definition →

Icelandic æðar ← Swedish eider ← North Germanic
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The story

  1. North Germanic · derived from
  2. Swedish · derived fromeider
  3. Icelandic · derived fromæðar
  4. English todayeider

From Icelandic æðar, genitive of æðr, probably reaching English via Swedish eider (now ejder), from a North Germanic root.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.