eider
UK[ˈaɪdə]US[ˈaɪdər]
n
A large northern sea duck, the male of which has mainly black and white plumage.
n
The down (soft feathers) from the breast of the female eider duck, used for stuffing quilts and pillows.
Etymology
The word 'eider' entered English in the mid-18th century, borrowed directly from the modern Icelandic 'æður' (meaning eider duck). This Icelandic term itself descends from Old Norse 'æðr'. The word's journey is a straightforward case of lexical borrowing, where English adopted the name of the bird, and its valuable down, from the language of the region where the duck is commonly found. The modern meaning remains tightly bound to the original referent, with no further morphological decomposition in English.
Analysis
This is a loanword adopted as a simplex unit. Its spelling and form were taken whole from another language.
Examples
We watched an eider duck diving for mussels along the rocky coast.
The finest quality duvets are often filled with eider down.
Eiders are known for their distinctive, soft cooing calls.