[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/duckling/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [D](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/d/) / duckling

# duckling

noun (a duckling, ducklings)

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

## Everyday

1. A duckling is a baby duck. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#m1)
2. In stories, an «ugly duckling» is someone who seems plain or awkward at first but grows up to be beautiful or great. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on life cycles, ducklings hatch from eggs, follow their mother and grow feathers; in stories like «The Ugly Duckling» the word carries the idea of growing up and changing. Phrases: «a mother duck and her ducklings», «fluffy ducklings», «an ugly duckling».

### Examples

- Five fluffy ducklings followed their mother to the pond. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x1)
- The duckling hatched from its egg this morning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x2)
- Ducklings can swim soon after they hatch. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x3)
- We watched the ducklings cross the road safely. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x4)
- In «The Ugly Duckling», the duckling grows into a swan. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x5)
- Don't feed the ducklings bread; it is bad for them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x6)
- If there were 7 ducklings and 2 waddled away, 5 were left. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x7)
- "You don't understand me," said the duckling. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/duckling/#x8)

### Note

Countable. The «-ling» ending means small or young, as in «gosling» (a young goose). A duckling is the young; «drake» is a male duck. Bread is not good food for ducks and ducklings.

## On Mova

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