Duckbill

3 definitions found

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

  Duck \Duck\, n. [OE. duke, doke. See {Duck}, v. t. ]
     1. (Zool.) Any bird of the subfamily {Anatin[ae]}, family
        {Anatid[ae]}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The genera and species are numerous. They are divided


           into {river ducks} and {sea ducks}. Among the former
           are the common domestic duck ({Anas boschas}); the wood
           duck ({Aix sponsa}); the beautiful mandarin duck of
           China ({Dendronessa galeriliculata}); the Muscovy duck,
           originally of South America ({Cairina moschata}). Among
           the sea ducks are the eider, canvasback, scoter, etc.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A sudden inclination of the bead or dropping of the
        person, resembling the motion of a duck in water.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Here be, without duck or nod,
              Other trippings to be trod.           --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Bombay duck} (Zool.), a fish. See {Bummalo}.
  
     {Buffel duck}, {Spirit duck}. See {Buffel duck}.
  
     {Duck ant} (Zool.), a species of white ant in Jamaica which
        builds large nests in trees.
  
     {Duck barnacle}. (Zool.) See {Goose barnacle}.
  
     {Duck hawk}. (Zool.)
        (a) In the United States: The peregrine falcon.
        (b) In England: The marsh harrier or moor buzzard.
  
     {Duck mole} (Zool.), a small aquatic mammal of Australia,
        having webbed feet and a bill resembling that of a duck
        ({Ornithorhynchus anatinus}). It belongs the subclass
        Monotremata and is remarkable for laying eggs like a bird
        or reptile; -- called also {duckbill}, {platypus},
        {mallangong}, {mullingong}, {tambreet}, and {water mole}.
        
  
     {To make ducks and drakes}, to throw a flat stone obliquely,
        so as to make it rebound repeatedly from the surface of
        the water, raising a succession of jets; hence:
  
     {To play at ducks and drakes}, with property, to throw it
        away heedlessly or squander it foolishly and unprofitably.
        
  
     {Lame duck}. See under {Lame}.
        [1913 Webster]

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

  Duckbill \Duck"bill`\, n. (Zool.)
     See {Duck mole}, under {Duck}, n.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  duckbill
       adj : having a beak resembling that of a duck; "a duck-billed
             dinosaur" [syn: {duck-billed}]
       n 1: primitive fish of the Mississippi valley having a long
            paddle-shaped snout [syn: {paddlefish}, {Polyodon
            spathula}]
       2: small densely furred aquatic monotreme of Australia and
          Tasmania having a broad bill and tail and webbed feet;
          only species in the family Ornithorhynchidae [syn: {platypus},
           {duckbilled platypus}, {duck-billed platypus}, {Ornithorhynchus
          anatinus}]