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Glite Dictionary
mud duck

mud duck

7.8
A duck that lives and feeds in muddy water
  • noun
translation icon : pato de barro
  • We saw several mud ducks swim across the shallow, murky water.

Examples

  • The children pointed excitedly at the mud duck splashing in the puddle.

  • The mud ducks are often spotted in wetlands.

  • A mud duck was foraging for insects along the riverbank after a heavy rain.

  • I saw a mud duck near the riverbank.

  • A mud duck was foraging for insects along the riverbank after a heavy rain.

  • The children pointed excitedly at the mud duck splashing in the puddle.

  • We saw several mud ducks swim across the shallow, murky water.

Synonyms

duck
vsmud duck
290 1.0

A water bird with webbed feet, a wide beak, and short neck

is narrower, referring specifically to birds living in muddy areas
dabbling duck
vsmud duck
6.3

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

is about living in muddy areas rather than the feeding method

Surface Forms

mud duck singular
mud ducks plural

Morphology

mud + duck

The meaning 'a duck commonly found in muddy areas' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'mud' (sticky wet earth) with 'duck' (aquatic bird) as a noun–noun compound describing habitat. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows basic English compound formation, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Mud duck gets its name from the simple picture of a duck poking and splashing in soft mud to find insects and plants. So, 'mud duck' means 'a type of duck commonly found in muddy areas'.