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duckweed

duckweed

1 8.3
A very small plant that floats on still water in a green carpet
  • noun
  • /ˈdʌkˌwid/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lenteja de agua
  • In the summer, the pond was covered in bright green duckweed, creating a beautiful floating carpet.
  • duckweed floats
  • pond covered in duckweed
  • green duckweed

So what the duckweed and the coronavirus have in common is that they follow exponential growth.

Examples

  • Mud splattered on their legs as they ran, barely skirting the edges of murky pools covered with fine duckweed.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I noticed the duckweed thriving in the still water, adding a vibrant green color to the tranquil scene.

  • Behind them, the duckweed closed over their path, re-forming its carpet of light green.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The light green of duckweed dappled his shoulders and hair.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The tall grasses and duckweed floating on the water are common marsh vegetation.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Duckweed floats and really adds to the charm of the pond; the other two stay submerged.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The duckweed on the lake made it difficult to see the water below, as it formed thick mats on the surface.

Synonyms

aquatic plant
vsduckweed
1 3.4

A plant that grows in or near water, like a water lily

is a narrower term referring specifically to tiny free floating water plants
common duckweed
vsduckweed
  • Specialized
6.5

A very small floating plant that forms a green layer on the surface of ponds

is the general family term covering small floating species
Lemna minor
vsduckweed
  • Specialized
9.3

A small floating water plant like duckweed that grows in ponds

is broader referring to the whole group rather than a single species
lesser duckweed
vsduckweed
9.1

A very small plant that floats on ponds with tiny oval leaves

is usually seen as tiny floating mats whether roots are visible or not
Lemna
vsduckweed
  • Specialized
9.5

Small floating plants that grow on the surface of still fresh water

is the broader family term rather than a single genus
Lemna trisulca
vsduckweed
  • UK
9.9

A small water plant that floats on ponds and often forms dense green mats

is the general family term including many such species
Spirodela
vsduckweed
  • Specialized
9.9

Very small water plants with flat leaves and several roots that float on ponds

is used more broadly for tiny floating plants regardless of root structure
Spirodela polyrrhiza
vsduckweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A small floating water plant that grows on ponds and lakes worldwide

is the broader family category that covers this and other species
great duckweed
vsduckweed
  • UK
8.4

Small floating plant with round leaves that forms mats on ponds

is the general family term rather than one species
star-duckweed
vsduckweed
  • UK
9.9

A small floating water plant like duckweed that grows in temperate regions outside North America

is the general family term covering many species beyond this regional one

Compounds

common duckweed
  • Specialized
6.5

A very small floating plant that forms a green layer on the surface of ponds

duckweed family
  • Specialized
7.4

A group of very small plants that float on still water like ponds

A very small plant that floats on ponds with tiny oval leaves

Small floating plant with round leaves that forms mats on ponds

9.9

A small floating water plant like duckweed that grows in temperate regions outside North America

How Small

phytoplankton
  • Specialized
4 8.2
watermeal
  • Specialized
9.9
duckweed
  • Specialized
1 8.3
waterlily
1 3.0

Surface Forms

duckweed singular
duckweeds plural

Morphology

duckweed = duck + weed (semi-transparent) = duck + weed

The components 'duck' and 'weed' clearly indicate a plant related to ducks, but the specific botanical sense 'tiny floating aquatic plant' is more specialized than a straightforward compound interpretation.

Etymology

Duckweed is made from the common words duck and weed, because people saw ducks eating or resting on this tiny plant that floats on water. So duckweed means a very small floating water plant that often makes a 'green carpet' on ponds.