duck septicemia - definition of duck septicemia by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

duck¹ (d

1. Any of various wild or domesticated swimming birds of the family Anatidae, characteristically having a broad, flat bill, short legs, and webbed feet.

2. A female duck.

3. The flesh of a duck used as food.

4. Slang A person, especially one thought of as peculiar.

5. Chiefly British A dear. Often used in the plural with a singular verb.

[Middle English doke, from Old English dce, possibly from *dcan, to dive; see duck².]

duck² (d

v. ducked, duck·ing, ducks

v.tr.

1. To lower quickly, especially so as to avoid something: ducked his head as the ball came toward him.

2. To evade; dodge: duck responsibility; ducked the reporter's question.

3. To push suddenly under water. See Synonyms at dip.

4. Games To deliberately play a card that is lower than (an opponent's card).

v.intr.

1. To lower the head or body.

2. To move swiftly, especially so as to escape being seen: ducked behind a bush.

3. To submerge the head or body briefly in water.

4. To evade a responsibility or obligation. Often used with out: duck out on one's family.

5. Games To lose a trick by deliberately playing lower than one's opponent.

1. A quick lowering of the head or body.

2. A plunge into water.

[Middle English douken, to dive, possibly from Old English *dcan; akin to Middle Low German and Middle Dutch dken.]

ducker n.

duck³ (d

1. A durable, closely woven heavy cotton or linen fabric.

2. ducks Clothing made of duck, especially white trousers.

[Dutch doek, cloth, from Middle Dutch doec.]

duck ¹

Noun

pl ducks or duck

1. a water bird with short legs, webbed feet, and a broad blunt bill

2. the flesh of this bird used for food

3. the female of such a bird

4. Cricket a score of nothing

5. like water off a duck's back without effect: I reprimanded him but it was like water off a duck's back [Old English dūce]

duck ²

Verb

1. to move (the head or body) quickly downwards, to escape being seen or avoid a blow

2. to plunge suddenly under water

3. Informal to dodge (a duty or responsibility) [Middle English]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	duck - small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs anseriform bird - chiefly web-footed swimming birds Anatidae, family Anatidae - swimming birds having heavy short-legged bodies and bills with a horny tip: swans; geese; ducks drake - adult male of a wild or domestic duck quack-quack - child's word for a duck duckling - young duck diving duck - any of various ducks of especially bays and estuaries that dive for their food dabbling duck, dabbler - any of numerous shallow-water ducks that feed by upending and dabbling Anas platyrhynchos, mallard - wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed Anas rubripes, black duck - a dusky duck of northeastern United States and Canada teal - any of various small short-necked dabbling river ducks of Europe and America Anas penelope, widgeon, wigeon - freshwater duck of Eurasia and northern Africa related to mallards and teals Anas clypeata, shoveler, shoveller, broadbill - freshwater duck of the northern hemisphere having a broad flat bill Anas acuta, pin-tailed duck, pintail - long-necked river duck of the Old and New Worlds having elongated central tail feathers sheldrake - Old World gooselike duck slightly larger than a mallard with variegated mostly black-and-white plumage and a red bill Oxyura jamaicensis, ruddy duck - reddish-brown stiff-tailed duck of North America and northern South America Bucephela albeola, bufflehead, butterball, dipper - small North American diving duck; males have bushy head plumage Bucephela clangula, goldeneye, whistler - large-headed swift-flying diving duck of Arctic regions Aythya valisineria, canvasback, canvasback duck - North American wild duck valued for sport and food Aythya ferina, pochard - heavy-bodied Old World diving duck having a grey-and-black body and reddish head Aythya americana, redhead - North American diving duck with a grey-and-black body and reddish-brown head bluebill, scaup, scaup duck, broadbill - diving ducks of North America having a bluish-grey bill wild duck - an undomesticated duck (especially a mallard) Aix sponsa, summer duck, wood duck, wood widgeon - showy North American duck that nests in hollow trees Aix galericulata, mandarin duck - showy crested Asiatic duck; often domesticated Cairina moschata, muscovy duck, musk duck - large crested wild duck of Central America and South America; widely domesticated sea duck - any of various large diving ducks found along the seacoast: eider; scoter; merganser duck down - down of the duck duck - flesh of a duck (domestic or wild)
	2.	duck - (cricket) a score of nothing by a batsman duck's egg cricket - a game played with a ball and bat by two teams of 11 players; teams take turns trying to score runs score - a number that expresses the accomplishment of a team or an individual in a game or contest; "the score was 7 to 0"
	3.	duck - flesh of a duck (domestic or wild) duck - small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs poultry - flesh of chickens or turkeys or ducks or geese raised for food duckling - flesh of a young domestic duck
	4.	duck - a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave; used for clothing and tents cloth, fabric, textile, material - artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress"
Verb	1.	duck - to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away; "Before he could duck, another stone struck him" move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
	2.	duck - submerge or plunge suddenly dive, plunge, plunk - drop steeply; "the stock market plunged"
	3.	duck - dip into a liquid; "He dipped into the pool" douse, dip dip, dunk, souse, douse, plunge - immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate; "dip the garment into the cleaning solution"; "dip the brush into the paint"
	4.	duck - avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues); "He dodged the issue"; "she skirted the problem"; "They tend to evade their responsibilities"; "he evaded the questions skillfully" evade, hedge, sidestep, skirt, parry, fudge, circumvent, dodge, elude, put off beg - dodge, avoid answering, or take for granted; "beg the question"; "beg the point in the discussion" quibble - evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant objections avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her"