common goldeneye

noun

: goldeneye sense 1a

One of the toughest of this crowd is the common goldeneye. The diving ducks stay about as far north as open water can be found and move farther north as thawing allows in their quest to reach breeding grounds.

—Jim McCormac, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 7 Feb. 2010

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

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