sheldrake

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noun

An Old World duck of the genus Tadorna (shelducks).

Similar
vulpansermerganserfish ducksawbill
OriginMiddle English sheld- →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

sheldrake1

nounsheldrake (plural sheldrakes)

plural sheldrakes

  1. An Old World duck of the genus Tadorna (shelducks).

    Synonyms: vulpanser

    1. A male shelduck.

      Synonyms: vulpanser

  2. A merganser.
  3. The call sign for an artillery officer.

Sheldrake2

proper nounSheldrake (plural Sheldrakes)

plural Sheldrakes · alternative Sheldrick

  1. A surname transferred from the nickname.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn Old World duck of the genus Tadorna (shelducks).

Similar
vulpanser

nounA male shelduck.

Similar
vulpanser

More synonyms by meaning

nounlarge crested fish-eating diving duck having a slender hooked bill with serrated edges

Similar
merganserfish ducksawbill
Broader
sea duck
Also see
fish duckmergansersawbillvulpanser

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

sheldrake · noun

  1. Middle Englishsheld-“parti-colored”
  2. Englishsheldrake

From Middle English sheld- (“parti-colored”) (akin to Middle Dutch shillede) + drake (“male duck”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Sheldrake · proper noun

From sheldrake, a nickname for a vain or showy person.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sheldrake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheldrake

MLA

“sheldrake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheldrake. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sheldrake,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheldrake.

Source: sheldrake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.