bufflehead

[ buhf-uhl-hed ]

noun

a small North American duck, Bucephala albeola, the male of which has bushy head plumage.

Origin of bufflehead

1855–60, Americanism;buffle (see buff¹) + head

Other words from bufflehead

buf·fle·head·ed, adjective

Words Nearby bufflehead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bufflehead in a sentence

You tip this ol' bufflehead into sea,' you said, 'an' gormed if I don't give 'ee a gould savrin.'
Love Among the Chickens | P. G. Wodehouse
There is one bufflehead among them—no, two; the rest are coots,' I replied.
In Search of the Unknown | Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for bufflehead

bufflehead

/ (ˈbʌfəlˌhɛd) /

noun

a small North American diving duck, Bucephala (or Glaucionetta) albeola : the male has black-and-white plumage and a fluffy head: Also called: butterball

Origin of bufflehead

C17 buffle from obsolete buffle wild ox (see buff 1), referring to the duck's head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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