MERGANSER

merganser, fish duck, sawbill, sheldrake

(noun) large crested fish-eating diving duck having a slender hooked bill with serrated edges

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

merganser (plural mergansers)

Any of various diving ducks of the genera Mergus or Lophodytes, which feed on fish and have a sharply serrated bill.

Synonyms

• (Eurasian) goosander, Mergus merganser

Source: Wiktionary


Mer*gan"ser, n. Etym: [Sp. mergánsar, fr. mergo a diver (L. mergus, fr. mergere to dip, dive) + ánsar goose, L. anser.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any bird of the genus Merganser, and allied genera. They are allied to the ducks, but have a sharply serrated bill.

Note: The red-breasted merganser (Merganser serrator) inhabits both hemispheres. It is called also sawbill, harle, and sheldrake. The American merganser (M. Americanus.) and the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) are well-known species.

– White merganser, the smew or white nun.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 June 2025

PUNGENCY

(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”


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