Ducking

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Duck \Duck\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ducked}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Ducking}.] [OE. duken, douken, to dive; akin to D. duiken,
     OHG. t?hhan, MHG. tucken, t["u]cken, t?chen, G. tuchen. Cf.
     5th {Duck}.]
     1. To thrust or plunge under water or other liquid and
        suddenly withdraw.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              Adams, after ducking the squire twice or thrice,
              leaped out of the tub.                --Fielding.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To plunge the head of under water, immediately withdrawing
        it; as, duck the boy.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To bow; to bob down; to move quickly with a downward
        motion. " Will duck his head aside." --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ducking \Duck"ing\,
     n. & a., from {Duck}, v. t. & i.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Ducking stool}, a stool or chair in which common scolds were
        formerly tied, and plunged into water, as a punishment.
        See {Cucking stool}. The practice of ducking began in the
        latter part of the 15th century, and prevailed until the
        early part of the 18th, and occasionally as late as the
        19th century. --Blackstone. Chambers.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ducking
       n 1: hunting ducks [syn: {duck hunting}]
       2: the act of wetting something by submerging it [syn: {submersion},
           {immersion}, {dousing}]