eider duck

American  

noun

1. any of several large sea ducks of the genus Soamateria and allied genera of the Northern Hemisphere, the females of which yield eiderdown.

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Etymology

Origin of eider duck

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eider duck

The eider duck and the hair seal are disappearing, but on the word of Medical Missionary Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell, the country is infested with mice "of many varieties."

From Time Magazine Archive

The eider duck is about twice the size of the common duck, being about 2 feet 3 inches in length, 3 feet in breadth of wing, and from 6 to 7 lb. in weight.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 2: Ebert to Estremadura by Various

But the mystery was explained when M. Fridrikssen informed me that this tranquil personage was only a hunter of the eider duck, whose under plumage constitutes the chief wealth of the island.

From A Journey to the Interior of the Earth by Verne, Jules

Quilt stuffed   with the down of the eider duck.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

Their houses were quite small, and the people themselves were dwarfs, who called the eider duck walrus.

From Eskimo Folk-Tales by Worster, W. J. Alexander (William John Alexander)