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

It is for the sake of the feathers sailors shoot these birds on the ice, for they are nearly as well feathered as an eider duck.

From Wild Adventures round the Pole The Cruise of the "Snowbird" Crew in the "Arrandoon" by Stables, Gordon

That is to say, it was really nothing more than the wing of an eider duck.

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

That one is the famous eider duck that provides the down, the eider-down under which our fine ladies sleep; isn't it pretty?

From The Magic Skin by Marriage, Ellen

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