I think it comes from their habit when walking of a mother bird lead ing a string of ducklings. She would then be known as dux, from the latin dux- a leader.Dux Bellorum -war lord. Our word Duke would have the same root.
P.s. Confession-I just made all that up. I've now idea really. Chambers gives it as -old English - duce, but makes no attempt at a further derivation.
Education comes from the same root (or should I say radix) ex ducere - to lead out. I suspect the educated guess you just made up is spot-on! In which case the verb to duck must have originally meant to bob your head in a duck-like manner.
3 comments:
Lovely summer scene, Mike. Are ducks so named because they duck under the water to feed and dibble, or is the action of ducking named after the bird?
Pootatu says 'braiston'... She probably thinks I'm having a brainstorm!
I think it comes from their habit when walking of a mother bird lead ing a string of ducklings. She would then be known as dux, from the latin dux- a leader.Dux Bellorum -war lord. Our word Duke would have the same root.
P.s. Confession-I just made all that up. I've now idea really. Chambers gives it as -old English - duce, but makes no attempt at a further derivation.
Education comes from the same root (or should I say radix) ex ducere - to lead out.
I suspect the educated guess you just made up is spot-on! In which case the verb to duck must have originally meant to bob your head in a duck-like manner.
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