drake
nounnouncommon in dialogue
- //ˈdɹeɪ̯k//
- /[ˈdɹ̝ʷeɪ̯k] ~ [ˈd̠ɹ̠˔ʷeɪ̯k]/
A male duck (animal).
noun
- 1
A male duck (animal).
A drake belonging to a chemist, having drunk water out of a copper vessel which had contained phosphorous, continued its amorous activities until death.
Etymology
From Middle English drake (“male duck, drake”), from Old English *draca, abbreviated form for Old English *andraca (“male duck, drake”, literally “duck-king”), from Proto-West Germanic *anadrekō (“duck leader”). Cognate with Low German drake (“drake”), Dutch draak (“drake”), German Enterich (“drake”). More at annet.
noun
- 1
dragon
Clay caught sight of the drake's wing outlined against the rising flames as it swept low over the desert.
- 2
dragon lesser draconic creature
- 3
beaked galley, or Viking warship
- 4
historicalsmall piece of artillery
Two or three shots, made at them by a couple of drakes, made them stagger.
- 5
a fiery meteor (variously known as fiery serpents and dragons in many cultures)
The moon’s my constant Mistresse & the lowlie owle my morrowe. The flaming Drake and yͤ Nightcrowe make
- 6
mayfly
- 7
mayfly a mayfly used as fishing bait
Etymology
From Middle English drake (“dragon; Satan”), from Old English draca (“dragon, sea monster, huge serpent”), from Proto-West Germanic *drakō (“dragon”), from Latin dracō (“dragon”), from Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn, “serpent, giant seafish”), from δέρκομαι (dérkomai, “to see clearly”). Compare Middle Dutch drake and German Drache. Doublet of dragon.
Forms
- plural
- drakes