smew

[ smyoo ]

noun

1. a Eurasian duck, Mergus albellus, closely akin to mergansers: the male is white marked with black and gray.

smew

/ smjuː /

noun

1. a merganser, Mergus albellus, of N Europe and Asia, having a male plumage of white with black markings

Word History and Origins

Origin of smew¹

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of smew¹

C17: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

According to McKerrow, the bird in this handsome device, with the word "wick" in its bill, is probably a smew, with a pun intended on the name of the owner of the device, Smethwick.

From Project Gutenberg