duckling

Noun

duckling (plural ducklings)

1. A young duck.

   Synonyms:

   ducklet

   1. (strictly) A young female duck.
      • Good night, darling; take that kiss to your respected mother, and tell her with my compliments that we can’t afford to make ducks and drakes of the romance of our little pet’s life: she will hatch those birds for herself in due time, and remain cluck-clucking, wisely, but sadly, like a perplexed...1858, “Edith Clarel: A Story from Three Points of View”, in The Money Bag: Literature, Politics, Finance, volume I, number 4, London: Daniel F. Oakey, […], page 232
      • Referring to Table 1 it will be seen that if a breeding duck produces 40 marketable progeny each year (and in practice this should be achieved) half of which are ducklings and the other half drakelings, and these birds realise 2s. per lb. live weight, then that breeding duck would return...1951, Supplement to the Journal of the Department of Agriculture of Western Australia, volume 28, page 216