# sheldrake

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #86,746

## Definitions
1. An Old World duck of the genus Tadorna (shelducks).
2. An Old World duck of the genus Tadorna (shelducks).
3. A merganser.
4. The call sign for an artillery officer.

## Etymology
From Middle English sheld- (“parti-colored”) (akin to Middle Dutch shillede) + drake (“male duck”).

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