duck-billed
Definition
Adjective: Having a beak or snout that resembles that of a duck.
Usage
The adjective "duck-billed" is used to describe an animal, typically a prehistoric creature, whose most distinctive feature is a broad, flat bill similar to that of a duck. It is almost always used attributively (before a noun).
Examples
- The duck-billed platypus is a unique egg-laying mammal from Australia.
- Paleontologists discovered fossils of a large duck-billed dinosaur, formally known as a hadrosaur.
- The creature's duck-billed snout was perfectly adapted for sifting through plants in shallow water.
Advanced Usage
- The term is primarily used in established compound names for specific animals, most famously the "duck-billed platypus" () and "duck-billed dinosaurs" (the hadrosaurid family).
- It can be used in a more general descriptive sense for any animal with a similar facial structure, though this is less common.
Variants and Related Words
- Hadrosaur (n): The formal scientific name for the group of dinosaurs commonly called "duck-billed dinosaurs."
- Platypus (n): The common name for the , often preceded by "duck-billed."
Synonyms
- Broad-billed: Having a wide bill (less specific to duck-like shape).
- Spatulate: Having a broad, rounded end (technical term, often used in biology).
Antonyms
- Sharp-beaked
- Pointed-snouted
- Hooked-bill
Adjective
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having a beak resembling that of a duck
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a duck-billed dinosaur
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