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# canard

noun (a canard, canards)

«canard» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (formal) A canard is a false story or rumour that many people repeat and believe, especially one spread on purpose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#m1)
2. (aircraft) A canard is a small extra wing near the front of a plane, in front of the main wings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#m2)
3. (French) In French, «canard» is the ordinary word for a duck; in English it is not used for the bird. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#m3)

### In the lessons

In news and history lessons it means a lie or myth that keeps going round, for example an old rumour about a person or group. It warns the reader that the story is false. Phrases: an old canard, a tired canard, repeat a canard.

### Examples

- The idea that we use only ten percent of our brains is an old canard. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#x1)
- The newspaper had to apologise for spreading the canard. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#x2)
- The teacher said that story about the king was a canard. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#x3)
- That plane has small canards in front of its main wings. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#x4)
- In Paris, Dad ordered «canard», which turned out to be duck. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#x5)
- Don't repeat that canard about goldfish having a three-second memory. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/#x6)

### Note

Countable: a canard, canards. Said «ka-NARD» or «KAN-ard». A formal, bookish word; in everyday talk say «a myth», «a rumour» or «a lie». It comes from French «canard» (duck); old French had a saying about «half-selling a duck», meaning cheating.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «canard» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/canard/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«canard» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/canard.html) on Mova free.