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definitions

ducky

1
[duhk-ee]
|
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adjective, duck·i·er, duck·i·est. Informal.

fine; excellent; wonderful.
darling; charming; cute.

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Origin of ducky

1
First recorded in 1810–20; duck1 + -y1

ducky

2
[duhk-ee]

noun, plural duck·ies. British Slang.

(used as a term of endearment or familiarity) dear; sweetheart; darling; pet.

Origin of ducky

2
1530–40; duck1 + -y2 (perhaps alteration by folk etymology of Middle Dutch docke doll
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ducky

Contemporary Examples of ducky

Historical Examples of ducky

  • I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't know that Ducky Lucky will be delighted.

    Phyllis

    Dorothy Whitehill

  • She and Ducky slept in the sitting-room now, while the four boys had the bedroom.

    The Adventurous Seven

    Bessie Marchant

  • "I am quite equal to taking care of myself, and of Ducky too," she said loftily.

    The Adventurous Seven

    Bessie Marchant

  • That is to say, it is about the trouble that came before Ducky was born; you remember it?

    The Adventurous Seven

    Bessie Marchant

  • It is Father, dear Father, and he does not know his little Ducky at all!

    The Adventurous Seven

    Bessie Marchant

British Dictionary definitions for ducky

ducky

duckie

informal

noun plural duckies

British darling or dear: used as a term of endearment among women, but now often used in imitation of the supposed usage of homosexual men

adjective

delightful; fine
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
Word Origin and History for ducky
adj.

"excellent," slang from 1897 (often ironical),perhaps from duckie as a term of endearment (early 19c.). Probably not related to much earlier slang noun meaning "a woman's breast" ["...whose pritty duckys I trust shortly to kysse," Henry VIII, c.1536 letter to Anne Boleyn, who, contrary to rumor, did not have three of them].

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper