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Glite Dictionary
🎨 A casual participant 🦆 A shallow-water duck
dabbler

dabbler

8.2
A shallow-water duck that feeds by tipping forward to reach plants
  • noun
  • /ˈdæblər/
translation icon : pato de superficie
  • In spring, the dabbler ducks are often spotted near the river, foraging for food.

Examples

  • Dabbler. Dreamer. Driver.

    Blog text (1)

  • Constantly looking down at your fingers and looking back at the screen in between single notes and chords is something most new Rocksmith dabblers will go through unless they're already more than semi-proficient guitar players.

    Blog text (14)

  • The mallard is a common dabbler that feeds on the surface of ponds.

  • Many dabblers can be seen tipping forward to catch insects in the water.

Synonyms

dabbling duck
vsdabbler
6.3

A duck that feeds by tipping its head into shallow water while its tail stays up

is the single word form that means the same

Surface Forms

dabbler singular
dabblers plural

Morphology

dabbler = dabble (semi-transparent) = dabble + er

The formation is clearly 'dabble' + '-er', but here it names a specific type of duck (specialized zoological usage) rather than a generic agent, so the sense is somewhat specialized.

Etymology

Dabbler for the duck comes from dabble, which means 'to dip' or 'play in water'. These ducks feed by tipping forward and 'dabbing' at the surface rather than diving, so the name shows how they eat.