anadrekō (Proto-West Germanic)
Where does "anadrekō" come from?
The Proto-West Germanic word *anadrekō, meaning 'drake' or male duck, is a compound formed by combining the words for 'duck' and 'king' or 'ruler.' The first part, *anad, stems from an ancient Indo-European root for a duck, while the second part, *rekō, shares a common ancestry with the Latin word 'rex,' signifying a king. Together, they create a colorful descriptor for the duck that is figuratively the 'ruler' of the flock.
Full etymology tree
- *anadrekō (Proto-West Germanic), 'male duck, drake'
- compound *anad (Proto-West Germanic), 'duck'
- inherited *anadz (Proto-Germanic), 'duck'
- inherited h₂énh₂ets (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *h₂énh₂ts (Proto-Indo-European), 'duck'
- inherited h₂énh₂ets (Pre-Germanic)
- inherited *anadz (Proto-Germanic), 'duck'
- compound *rekō (Proto-West Germanic)
- inherited *rekô (Proto-Germanic), 'ruler, chief'
- inherited *h₃rḗǵs (Proto-Indo-European), 'king, ruler'
- derived *h₃reǵ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to straighten'
- inherited *h₃rḗǵs (Proto-Indo-European), 'king, ruler'
- inherited *rekô (Proto-Germanic), 'ruler, chief'
- compound *anad (Proto-West Germanic), 'duck'
Ancestors
- *anad (Proto-West Germanic)
- *rekō (Proto-West Germanic)
- *rekô (Proto-Germanic)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris