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Glite Dictionary
Mergus merganser

Mergus merganser

9.8
A large duck that eats fish and lives by cold rivers in Europe and North America
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mergus merganser
  • The Mergus merganser can often be seen fishing in cold, fast-moving rivers.

Examples

  • A male Mergus merganser is identifiable by its striking white plumage and dark green head.

  • I spotted a Mergus merganser swimming in the lake.

  • Ornithologists tracked the migration patterns of Mergus merganser populations across Europe.

  • The Mergus merganser is known for its distinctive crest.

  • A male Mergus merganser is identifiable by its striking white plumage and dark green head.

  • The Mergus merganser can often be seen fishing in cold, fast-moving rivers.

  • Ornithologists tracked the migration patterns of Mergus merganser populations across Europe.

Synonyms

goosander
vsMergus merganser
  • UK
9.9

A large diving duck that eats fish and has a long thin bill with tooth-like edges

is the formal scientific name for the same species

Surface Forms

Mergus merganser singular

Morphology

Mergus + merganser

The name is a standard binomial combining the genus 'Mergus' with the species name 'merganser', and both constituents explicitly refer to a type of duck. Given those constituent meanings, a learner who knows them can directly infer that Mergus merganser is the scientific name for that duck species, so the meaning is compositional and predictable.

Etymology

Mergus merganser may come from the Latin words mergus and anser, meaning 'diver' and 'goose'. So, the name gives the image of a 'diving goose' and fits the bird today: a large, fish-eating duck that dives into rivers to catch fish.