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smew

American

[smyoo] / smju /

noun

a Eurasian duck, Mergus albellus, closely akin to mergansers: the male is white marked with black and gray.

smew British

/ smjuː /

noun

a merganser, Mergus albellus, of N Europe and Asia, having a male plumage of white with black markings

"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

Etymology

Origin of smew

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

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smew

According to McKerrow, the bird in this handsome device, with the word "wick" in its bill, is probably a smew, with a pun intended on the name of the owner of the device, Smethwick.

From Seven Minor Epics of the English Renaissance (1596-1624) by Miller, Paul William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023