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Glite Dictionary
🤏 To crouch 🪶 Soft feathers
duck down

duck down

2.8
Soft fine feathers from a duck used to fill warm bedding and clothing
  • noun
  • /dʌk daʊn/
translation icon : pluma de pato
  • There was an old person from Bucktown who was filling his pillow with duck down.

Examples

  • So he snatched up a wad, and then, using a rod, started priming that pillow with duck down.

    Academic text (2015)

  • He chose a duck down pillow for its extra softness and support while sleeping.

  • The comforter was filled with soft duck down to keep warm during winter nights.

  • She enjoyed the plush texture of her new jacket, which was lined with duck down.

Synonyms

down
vsduck down
34 4.8

Soft, fine feathers on young birds and under adult feathers

is made from one bird species rather than many birds or animals
down feather
vsduck down
1 3.2

A very soft feather under a bird's outer feathers that keeps the bird warm

is sourced specifically from a single bird species instead of any bird
stuffing
vsduck down
1 2.1

Soft material used to fill mattresses or cushions to make them comfortable

consists of very fine feathers used specifically for bedding and clothing

How Warm

goose down
3 3.8
duck down
2.8

Surface Forms

duck down singular
duck downs plural

Morphology

duck + down

The sense 'to lower your body quickly' is directly and compositionally built from the verb sense of 'duck' (to lower/crouch) combined with 'down' (to a lower position), so a learner who knows the constituent meanings can infer the action. Although 'duck' is listed here as a noun, the relevant verb sense is common and the motion/position combination is cross-linguistically familiar, making the expression immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

The noun duck down is the very soft, fine feathers from a duck, the warm, fuzzy layer under its outer feathers, and people use this material to fill pillows and jackets, so it means 'soft filling for warm clothes and bedding'.