Morpheme
Duck
Type
free base
Denotation
dip, dive, plunge, submerge
Etymology
Middle English doke, ducke, dukke, dokke, duke, ducken, duken; Old English *duce, *dūce, dūcan, from *dūcan
Evidence
antiduck, duck, duckable, duckbill, duckboard, ducked, ducker, duckface, duckie, ducking, duckish, duckless, ducklet, ducklike, duckling, duckly, duckness, duckpond, ducks, ducktail, duckwalk, duckweed, unducked
Notes
the Old English is attested only in the genitive dūcan
waterfowl noun sense developed from the way that the bird dips into the water to feed
