waterfowl

[ waw-ter-foul, wot-er- ]

/ ˈwɔ tərˌfaʊl, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun, plural wa·ter·fowls, (especially collectively) wa·ter·fowl.

a water bird, especially a swimming bird.

such birds taken collectively, especially the swans, geese, and ducks.

Nearby words

Origin of waterfowl

1250–1300; Middle English; cognate with German Wasservogel; see water, fowl

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

Examples from the Web for waterfowl

Wood pigeon, pheasant, partridge, grouse, peacocks, hares, wild rabbits, and waterfowl are all dietary staples.
Edible Taxidermy: It’s a Good Thing|Lizzie Crocker|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The waterfowl have begun to come more and more to the pond before the house.
Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan|Various
The river abounds in fish and waterfowl of all descriptions.
Explorations in Australia, The Journals of John McDouall Stuart|John McDouall Stuart
The prodigious variety of waterfowl on the sea-shore has been but barely hinted at.
Wanderings in South America|Charles Waterton

The voices of millions of waterfowl, around them, did not disturb their slumbers.
Christopher Carson|John S. C. Abbott
This morning I went with Amuba with our bows and arrows to shoot a hawk which has for some time been slaying the waterfowl.
The Cat of Bubastes|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for waterfowl

waterfowl

/ (ˈwɔːtəˌfaʊl) /

noun

any aquatic freshwater bird, esp any species of the family Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans)

such birds collectively

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 waterfowl

waterfowl

c.1300, from water (n.1) + fowl (n.). Cf. Old High German wazzarvogel, Dutch watervogel.