eider

[ ahy-der ]

Origin of eider

1
1735–45; <Icelandic æthar (in 18th century spelled ædar), genitive singular of æthur eider duck, in phrase ædar dūnn down of the eider duck; spelling eider<German or Swedish

Words Nearby eider

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use eider in a sentence

  • Zeal had undressed, extended himself on the bed, and covered his body with an eider-down quilt.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • The judges sat in their armchairs, with their heads propped up by eider-down cushions, because they had so much to think about.

    Rudy and Babette | Hans Christian Andersen
  • It was winter, and snow was on the ground; white and sparkling, and as light as eider-down.

    Unveiling a Parallel | Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Marchant
  • "Meany, meany," called Judy after her friend, who had seized her gray eider-down cape and was fleeing down the hall.

  • The eider route is the old one, but he hoped to get rid of some of his apples at Tnning, the town at its mouth.

    The Riddle of the Sands | Erskine Childers

British Dictionary definitions for eider

eider

eider duck

/ (ˈaɪdə) /


noun
  1. any of several sea ducks of the genus Somateria, esp S. mollissima, and related genera, which occur in the N hemisphere. The male has black and white plumage, and the female is the source of eiderdown

Origin of eider

1
C18: from Old Norse æthr; related to Swedish ejder, Dutch, German Eider

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012