Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A duck of the genus Mareca, belonging to the subfamily Anatinæ.
- noun By extension, some or any wild duck, except the mallard: usually with a qualifying term.
- noun The gad wall, Chaulelasmus streperus: more fully called
gray widgeon . See cut underChaulelasmus . - noun The pintail, Dafila acuta: more fully, gray or kite-tailed widgeon, or sea-widgeon. See cut under
Dafila . - noun The wood-duck, Aix sponsa: more fully, wood-widgeon. See cut under
wood-duck . - noun The ruddy duck, Erismatura rubida. See cut under
Erismatura . - noun A fool: alluding to the supposed stupidity of the widgeon. Compare goose, gudgeon.
- noun A small teasing fly; a midge.
- noun The goldeneyed duck, Clangula glaucion.
- noun The male goosander, Mergus merganser.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of fresh-water ducks, especially those belonging to the subgenus Mareca, of the genus Anas. The common European widgeon (
Anas penelope ) and the American widgeon (Anas Americana ) are the most important species. The latter is called alsobaldhead ,baldpate ,baldface ,baldcrown ,smoking duck ,wheat ,duck , andwhitebelly . - noun the American widgeon.
- noun the European tufted duck.
- noun The pintail duck.
- noun the poachard.
- noun The goosander.
- noun the merganser.
- noun See in the Vocabulary.
- noun [Prov. Eng.] the goosander.
- noun the shoveler.
- noun the smew.
- noun the wood duck.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative spelling of
wigeon .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun freshwater duck of Eurasia and northern Africa related to mallards and teals
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The American widgeon is the constant attendant on the canvass-back duck, so celebrated in the United States for its excellence as an article of food.
The Lady's Country Companion: or, How to Enjoy a Country Life Rationally Jane 1845
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* Rallus Virginianus, the sorce bird or little brown rail, also called widgeon in Pennsyl.
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I would agree with a canvasback or a drake widgeon.
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Here's my Lab Moose with a widgeon drake at our duck blind in California's Suisun Marsh.
Best Gun Dog Contest 2009
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How freaked out will people get if they discover 10,000 or so American widgeon have died in Alaska this year, along with about 20,000 mallards?
AlaskaDispatch.com: Massive Bird, Fish Kills in Alaska -- No One Noticed AlaskaDispatch.com 2011
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Here's my Lab Moose with a widgeon drake at our duck blind in California's Suisun Marsh.
Best Gun Dog Contest 2009
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I would agree with a canvasback or a drake widgeon.
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How freaked out will people get if they discover 10,000 or so American widgeon have died in Alaska this year, along with about 20,000 mallards?
AlaskaDispatch.com: Massive Bird, Fish Kills in Alaska -- No One Noticed AlaskaDispatch.com 2011
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Other factors that are affected by the trophic cascades initiated by the geese include reduced N mineralization rates and declines in the populations of soil invertebrates, waders, and some species of duck such as the widgeon (Anas americana).
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Wintering waterfowl include pintail, cinnamon teal, American widgeon, surf scoter and ruddy duck.
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, California 2008
brtom commented on the word widgeon
Let some cry up woodcock or hare,
Your bustards, your ducks, and your widgeons;
But of all the gay birds in the air,
Here’s a health to the Three Jolly Pigeons.
Goldsmith, She Stoops, I
January 8, 2007