American widgeon
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən ˈwɪdʒən/
- US
- The distinctive white crown makes the male American widgeon easy to identify among other ducks.
Examples
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We spotted an American widgeon paddling quietly near the edge of the lake.
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During migration, large flocks of American widgeons stop at wetland reserves across the Midwest.
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The American widgeon is often seen in wetlands.
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Many birdwatchers enjoy spotting the American widgeon.
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The distinctive white crown makes the male American widgeon easy to identify among other ducks.
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During migration, large flocks of American widgeons stop at wetland reserves across the Midwest.
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We spotted an American widgeon paddling quietly near the edge of the lake.
Synonyms
A medium duck whose male has a white crown and a green patch by the eye
A North American duck whose male has a white crown on its head
Surface Forms
Morphology
American + widgeon
This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'American' specifies origin/region and 'widgeon' denotes a type of duck, so the phrase simply means a widgeon from (or native to) America. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift and the pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both words would understand the meaning.
Etymology
American widgeon is a name made of two parts: widgeon for the duck's soft, whistling call and American to show where it lives. So the name tells you it is a widgeon found in America.