Where does “stiff-tailed duck” come from?

stiff-tailed duck (English) comes from English tailed, from Middle English tayled, from Middle English tayl, from Old English tæġl, from Proto-Germanic taglą, from Proto-Indo-European doḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European deḱ- — take; perceive.

stiff-tailed duck (English): A duck of the Oxyurinae subfamily

Definitions

  1. A duck of the Oxyurinae subfamily

Ancestry of “stiff-tailed duck”, step by step

stiff-tailed duck traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English tailed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishtailedsimple past tense and past participle of tail;...
2Middle Englishtayledtailed; Having a part which drags on the floor
3Middle EnglishtaylA tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A...
4Old Englishtæġltail
5Proto-Germanictagląhair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail
6Proto-Indo-Europeandoḱ-hair of the tail
7Proto-Indo-Europeandeḱ-take; perceive

via English Duck

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDuckTo quickly lower (the head or body), often in order to prevent it from being struck by something
2Dutchdoekcloth, linen, fabric; a piece of cloth; screen,...
3Middle Dutchdoeccloth
4Old Dutchduok
5Proto-West Germanicdōkcloth, rag
6Proto-Germanicdōkazcloth, rag
7Proto-Indo-Europeandwōg-

via English stiff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstiffRigid; hard to bend; inflexible; Inflexible;...
2Middle EnglishstifStiff, firm, hard; difficult to move or...
3Old EnglishstīfStiff, firm, hard
4Proto-West Germanicstīfstiff, rigid
5Proto-Germanicstīfazstiff, rigid
6Proto-Indo-Europeansteypós
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deḱ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European doḱ-Every word from Proto-Germanic taglą
stiff-tailed duck — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer