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Glite Dictionary
wood drake

wood drake

9.9
A male duck with bright colourful feathers found in North America
  • noun
  • /wʊd dreɪk/
  • US
translation icon : pato de madera
  • The brilliant feathers of the wood drake shimmered in the sunlight as he swam across the pond.

Examples

  • Compared to the plain brown female, the wood drake is exceptionally vivid and eye-catching.

  • I saw a wood drake swimming in the pond.

  • Birdwatchers spotted a wood drake displaying his colors during mating season.

  • The wood drake is known for its vibrant colors.

  • Birdwatchers spotted a wood drake displaying his colorful plumage during mating season.

  • Compared to the female wood duck, the wood drake is much more striking with his vivid markings.

  • The vibrant feathers of the wood drake shimmered beautifully in the sunlight as he glided across the water.

Synonyms

drake
vswood drake
123 7.5

An adult male duck, often with bright feathers

is the male of one specific species rather than any male duck
wood duck
vswood drake
  • US
1 5.8

A brightly colored North American duck that nests in tree holes near water

is the male of that bird species rather than the bird in general
Aix sponsa
vswood drake
  • Specialized
9.9

A brightly colored North American duck that nests in hollow trees

is the male of that species rather than the species as a whole
summer duck
vswood drake
  • US
9.0

A colorful North American bird that nests in holes in trees

is the male of that bird rather than the species overall
wood widgeon
vswood drake
  • US
8.8

A colorful duck from North America that nests in hollow trees

is the male of that species instead of the species as a whole

Surface Forms

wood drake singular
wood drakes plural

Morphology

wood + drake

The compound is fully compositional: 'wood' (wooded area) + 'drake' (male duck) yields a male duck associated with woods — essentially the male of a wood duck. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive this meaning easily because noun+noun habitat/animal compounds are common and cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

Wood drake comes from wood (the duck's home among trees) and drake (a male duck), so the name simply means 'a male wood duck'.