gadwall

[ gad-wawl ]

/ ˈgædˌwɔl /

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noun, plural gad·walls, (especially collectively) gad·wall.

a grayish-brown wild duck, Anas strepera, found in temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Origin of gadwall

First recorded in 1660–70; origin uncertain

Words nearby gadwall

gadroon, gadrooning, Gadsbodikins, Gadsden, Gadsden Purchase, gadwall, gadzookery, Gadzooks, gae, Gaea, Gaekwar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gadwall in a sentence

In the autumn the lakes in this neighbourhood are the resort of large packs of wigeon, gadwall and pochard.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921|Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
The gadwall is really a southern duck, coming into the United States to breed.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast|Harry Thom Payne
I saw only one Gadwall Duck; these birds are found in abundance on the plains where water and rushes are to be found.
Audubon and his Journals, Vol. 2|Maria R. Audubon
A month later, however (in May), we obtained nests both of this Pochard and of the Gadwall, both built among rushes on dry ground.
Wild Spain (Espaa agreste)|Abel Chapman

The gadwall, which has been described as a "thoroughbred" looking duck, is the rarest yet mentioned.
Poachers and Poaching|John Watson

British Dictionary definitions for gadwall

gadwall

/ (ˈɡædˌwɔːl) /

noun plural -walls or -wall

a duck, Anas strepera, related to the mallard. The male has a grey body and black tail

Word Origin for gadwall

C17: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012