scaup

[ skawp ]

/ skɔp /

noun

any of several diving ducks of the genus Aythya, especially A. marila (greater scaup), of the Northern Hemisphere, having a bluish-gray bill.

Nearby words

scattershot, scattersite housing, scatty, scaturient, scaud, scaup, scauper, scaur, scavenge, scavenge pump, scavenge stroke

Origin of scaup

1665–75; by ellipsis from scaup duck, probably with Scots, N dial. scaup, scalp mussel bed (of uncertain origin)

Also called scaup duck.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scaup

The Scaup Duck is very abundant in Holland during winter, covering the inland seas with immense flocks.
British Birds in their Haunts|Rev. C. A. Johns
The Scaup is so called from its feeding on 'scaup', a northern word for a bed of shellfish.
British Birds in their Haunts|Rev. C. A. Johns
In some old charts, particularly by the Dutch, whose name for a headland is kappe, it is also called skape and scaup.
An Account of the Bell Rock Light-House|Robert Stevenson
The food of the Scaup Duck consists largely of molluscs, but crustaceans and marine plants are also eaten by this species.
British Sea Birds|Charles Dixon

It is an expert diver, and a flock of hundreds of scaup may sometimes be seen to immerse themselves at the same moment.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

British Dictionary definitions for scaup

scaup

scaup duck

/ (skɔːp) /

noun

either of two diving ducks, Aythya marila (greater scaup) or A. affinis (lesser scaup), of Europe and America, having a black-and-white plumage in the maleAlso called (US): bluebill, broadbill

Word Origin for scaup

C16: Scot variant of scalp

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