# faeder

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A male ruff (bird, Philomachus pugnax, syn. Calidris pugnax) that permanently mimics a female so as to gain access to mating territories and "steal" matings.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Old English fæder (“father”). Doublet of ayr, father, padre, pater, and père.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/faeder