duckweed
1 synonym for duckweed, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Duckweed is any of several small floating plants that grow on the surface of still or slow-moving water.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
duckmeat
How to use duckweed
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
covered in duckweed
carpet of duckweed
layer of duckweed
duckweed-covered pond
An everyday plant name used in general speech as well as in botany.
Etymology
Duckweed is a compound of duck and weed, likely named because ducks and other waterfowl often eat it. A similar idea appears in the older Middle English word dokemete, which literally meant duck-food.
Full origin of duckweed →Frequently asked questions
Do ducks really eat duckweed?
Yes, duckweed is thought to have been named because it is so often eaten by ducks and other waterfowl.
Is duckweed a type of algae?
No, duckweed is a flowering plant, part of a subfamily within the arum family, even though it can look like a green scum on water.
Is duckweed countable or uncountable?
It can be either, so you might see it treated as a mass noun or given the plurals duckweeds or duckweed depending on how many kinds are meant.
