duckling

noun

Etymology: From Middle English dokeling, dukling, dookelynge (“duckling”), equivalent to duck + -ling.

1. A young duck.
2. A young duck.

   “Good night, darling; take that kiss to your respected mother, and tell her with my compliments that we can’t afford to make ducks and drakes of the romance of our little pet’s life: she will hatch those birds for herself in due time, and remain cluck-clucking, wisely, but sadly, like a perplexed old hen, when her ducklings and drakelings have unexpectedly taken the water.”

   “Referring to Table 1 it will be seen that if a breeding duck produces 40 marketable progeny each year (and in practice this should be achieved) half of which are ducklings and the other half drakelings, and these birds realise 2s. per lb. live weight, then that breeding duck would return approximately £15 10s. over feeding costs for the 12 months.”