Noun

1. An aquatic bird of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet.
2. Specifically, an adult female duck; contrasted with drake and with duckling.
3. The flesh of a duck used as food.
4. A batsman's score of zero after getting out. (short for duck's egg, since the digit "0" is round like an egg.)
5. A term of endearment
6. Dear, Mate (informal way of addressing a friend or stranger).

   Ay up duck, ow'a'tha?

7. A playing card with the rank of two.
8. A tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth.
   • 1912, Katherine Mansfield, "The Woman At The Store", from "Selected Short Stories":

   He was dressed in a Jaeger vest—a pair of blue duck trousers, fastened round the waist with a plaited leather belt.

9. A partly-flooded cave passage with limited airspace.
10. A building intentionally constructed in the shape of an everyday object to which it is related.
    • Newsday, February 21, 2007, "The Big Duck has influenced the world of architecture; any building that is shaped like its product is called a 'duck'."

    A luncheonette in the shape of a coffee cup is particularly conspicuous, as is intended of an architectural duck or folly.

Scientific names

• Anas platyrhynchos (domesticus), Mallard-derived domestic breeds, including Pekin, Rouen, Campbell, Call, Runner
• Cairina moschata, Muscovy duck

Verb

1. To lower the head or body in order to prevent it from being struck by something.
2. To lower (something) into water.
3. To lower (the head) in order to prevent it from being struck by something.
4. To try to evade doing something.