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Glite Dictionary
wood drake

wood drake

1 9.9
A male duck with bright colourful feathers found in North America
  • noun
  • /wʊd dreɪk/
  • US
: 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

wood duck
vswood drake
  • US
2 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
drake
vswood drake
1 7.5

An adult male duck, often with bright feathers

is the male of one specific species rather than any male duck
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'.