teal

[teel]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR teal ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural teals, (especially collectively) teal for 1.

any of several species of small dabbling ducks, of worldwide distribution, usually traveling in tight flocks and frequenting ponds and marshes.

Also called teal blue. a medium to dark greenish blue.

Origin of teal

1275–1325; Middle English tele; akin to Dutch taling, Middle Low German telink

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

Related Words for teal

blue-green, turquoise, royal, azure, navy, indigo, sapphire, ultramarine, cobalt, beryl, teal, cerulean

Examples from the Web for teal

Contemporary Examples of teal

And she even matched her manicure to her outfit, flashing nails that were a shade of teal.
Michelle Obama at DNC: Tracy Reese Dress With J. Crew Heels (PHOTOS)
Isabel Wilkinson
September 5, 2012
One sweater, in particular, a short-sleeve, shrunken crewneck, was charmingly marked by teardrop-shaped dollops of teal blue.
Milan’s Day-Glo Exuberance
Robin Givhan
September 26, 2011
Who is the best friend of every fat guy with a tan who says, “The teal nut-sling really takes it to a whole new level?”
Ban the Speedo!
Sean Macaulay
October 5, 2009

Historical Examples of teal

Other wild ducks and teal may be roasted in about half an hour.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
A sharp knife, Babette, for these teal––a duck should be cut, not torn.
Captain Brand of the "Centipede"
H. A. (Henry Augustus) Wise
The wood-pigeon is large, and the flesh dark coloured: if properly kept, and not over roasted, the flavour is equal to teal.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
A teal, from fifteen to twenty minutes; and other birds of this kind, in proportion to their size, a longer or a shorter time.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
Governor Berkeley named also brant, shell drake, teal, and blewings.
Home Life in Colonial Days
Alice Morse Earle

British Dictionary definitions for teal

teal

noun plural teals or teal

any of various small ducks, such as the Eurasian Anas crecca (common teal) that are related to the mallard and frequent ponds, lakes, and marshes

a greenish-blue colour

Word Origin for teal

C14: related to Middle Low German tēlink, Middle Dutch tēling

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 teal

"small freshwater duck," early 14c., probably from an unrecorded Old English word cognate with Middle Dutch teling "teal," Middle Low German telink, from West Germanic *taili. As the name of a shade of dark greenish-blue like the color patterns on the fowl's head and wings, it is attested from 1923.