mallard

American  

[mal-erd] / ˈmæl ərd /

noun

plural

mallards,

plural

mallard

1. a common, almost cosmopolitan, wild duck, Anas platyrhynchos, from which the domestic ducks are descended.

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mallard British  

/ ˈmælɑːd /

noun

1. a duck, Anas platyrhynchos, common over most of the N hemisphere, the male of which has a dark green head and reddish-brown breast: the ancestor of all domestic breeds of duck

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Etymology

Origin of mallard

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French, Old French mallart mallard drake, drake; male, -ard

Compare meaning

How does mallard compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Rouen vs. mallard

Example Sentences

It’s to the Moscow mallard and her ducklings I head to find out what Russians think of America and of the US election.

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2024

He paints a mallard for a competition to get on the 20-cent stamp.

From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2023

“A year ago, the local population of mallard ducks was down 25% due to drought,” Coslovich said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2023

Looking up from the page, I couldn’t help but notice that every mallard duck in the waters had the green head of a male.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2022

Then he discovered that if he hatched mallard duck eggs, the ducklings refused to follow him.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall