Duck

"duck: A species of coarse cloth or light canvas, used for small sails ... &c." - Webster's American Dictionary, London: David Bogue, 86 Fleet Street, MDCCCLVI.

Maybe I should not be surprised that the 1856 edition of Webster's American Dictionary was printed in London.

The fact that almost all English writers fail to mention the term "duck" strengthens my belief that this is an American term. Which, as Webster correctly states, originally was a light canvas. I have also always associated the term with cotton, which however might be incorrect. It seems that with time the term came to be used as a synonym to canvas or sail cloth.

Duck. Subst. Toile a voille.

Lescallier: Vocabulaire des termes de marine anglois et francois, 1783.

Duck, or Russia Duck, (toile de Russie, Fr.) a name given to the finest canvas for sails.

Burney: A New Universal Dictionary of the Marine, 1815.

Duck. A kind of cloth, lighter and finer than canvass; used for small sails.

Dana: The Seaman's Friend, 1841.

Duck. The finest canvass.

Totten: Naval Text-Book, 1841.

DUCK. The finest canvas (no. 8) for small sails, is sometimes so called; but is really a lighter cloth than canvas, and is greatly used by seamen and soldiers on tropical stations for frocks and trousers.

DUCKS. The general name for a sailor's dress in warm climates. Also, the military English of Bombay. See also Jemmy Ducks, the keeper of the poultry on board ship. Dried herrings, or Digby ducks in N.S.

Smyth: The Sailor's Word-Book, 1867:

Canvas

1st The Phenix Mill Canvas is made from flax into bolts, 40 yards long, 20 inches wide; and the different qualities weigh as follows, viz:

No. 1, . . . 47 1-2 lbs.  Avoirdupois   No. 5, . . . 30 lbs.  Avoirdupois
No. 2, . . . 42 1-2 lbs.  Avoirdupois   No. 6, . . . 25 lbs.  Avoirdupois
No. 3, . . . 35     lbs.  Avoirdupois   No. 7, . . . 22 lbs.  Avoirdupois
No. 4, . . . 32 1-2 lbs.  Avoirdupois   No. 8, . . . 20 lbs.  Avoirdupois

…

2d. Cotton Duck, which is 22 inches wide, and numbers from one to eight; number one being the heaviest. There are several manufactories of this article. This is used mostly for fore-and-aft vessels. Occasionally, square rigged vessels have sails made of it; and lately, some East-Indiamen out of this port, have had whole suits of sails made of it.

Holland Duck -- Of this canvas there are two widths, 24 inch and 31 inch. This duck is now mostly used for square rigged vessels, for top-sails and courses. It was formerly much used on coasting vessels; (that is, sloops and schooners); but Cotton Duck being a closer canvas, holds the wind better, and coming something cheaper, now takes the precedence.

English Canvas. -- Of which there are many kinds. The first order is the

Leith Duck. -- It is 24 inches wide, and generally considered the best duck in use for square sails. Second to that is the Navy Duck. -- This is also 24 inches wide, and for weight, (number one being the heaviest), numbers from that to eight. The number one is suitable for fore and main top-sails, fore courses, fore and main stay-sails, spencers, and brigs- trysails. No. two, for square main-sails, and mizen top-sails, for the largest size ships. No. three, for smaller class of vessels' square main-sails and mizen top-sails, and fore and main top-gallant sails, jibs and spankers of the largest size ships. No. four, for smaller class vessels' top-gallant sails and jibs. No's. five and six, for flying jibs, top-mast and lower studding-sails, and mizen top-gallant sails. No's seven and eight, for top-gallant studding-sails, royals, and top-mast and top-gallant stay-sails.

Russia Ducks -- These are numerous. The three best which are put in the order of quality, and are suitable for the heavy sails of ships, brigs, &c., are D. Brus and, sometimes, for fore and main top-gallant sails and flying jibs of small brigs and schooners. The last is Ravens Duck; which is used for royals and top-gallant studding-sails. Most of the Russia Canvas is used for small vessels. It is not as much used as formerly.

Last night I was reading an advertisement in The Times for November 7, 1805, where the stock of a bankrupt thread manufacturer was offered for sale at the New York [!] Coffee-House, (London). Among the items were a "a large quantity of Russia Ducks, Sheetings, Heyeden Rolls, Turkey carpets, . . ." consisting of, among many other things, "350 pieces Russia Sheetings, Bear and Raven Ducks. . . ."

I got an uneasy feeling reading this and it dawned upon me this morning that "duck" comes from "doek" (Dutch), "Tuch" (German", and "duk" (Swedish).

In addition to the quotation from Burney (1815), which I gave yesterday (the rest were American or French), I have found one more English reference:

Röding (1793-1796) writes that "In England ist das Segeltuch unter dem Namen Canvas, Duck oder Sail-cloth bekannt." Although the OED agrees with Roeding, it fails to give a single instance where the word is used in this respect.

The fact remains that "duck" is seldom used by English writers for sail-cloth or canvas in general. The term is e.g. not mentioned in any of the following English works:

When travelling up the Daintree River, Queensland, a couple of weeks ago I came across another duck, an ugly vessel referred to as an "army duck". This was an amphibious vehicle, also known in the US as a DUKW, which according to the OED "is a combination of factory serial letters designating certain features of the vehicle".

Updated 1995-09-02 by Lars Bruzelius

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