different between aquatic vs duckweed

English

Alternative forms

• aquatick (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French aquatique (“living in water”), from Latin aquaticus (“relating to water”), from aqua (“water”)

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /??kw?.t?k/, /??kwæ.t?k/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??kw?.t?k/, /??kwæ.t?k/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /??kw?.t?k/

• Rhymes: -?t?k

Usage notes

The pronunciations with a back vowel are more recent and reflect a long-established tendency to round a historic short-a after IPA^(key): /w/.

Adjective

aquatic (comparative more aquatic, superlative most aquatic)

1. Relating to water; living in or near water, taking place in water.

Synonyms

• waterly

Related terms

• aquativeness (obscure, obsolete)

Translations

Noun

aquatic (plural aquatics)

1. Any aquatic plant.

References

English

Etymology

duck +? weed. Supposedly so-named for often being consumed by ducks and other waterfowl.

Noun

duckweed (countable and uncountable, plural duckweeds or duckweed)

1. Any of several reduced floating aquatic plants in the subfamily Lemnoideae of the family Araceae.
   • 1909, H. G. Wells, The Beautiful Suit

     But his face was a face of such happiness that, had you seen it, you would have understood indeed how that he had died happy, never knowing that cool and streaming silver for the duckweed in the pond.

Translations