Learn Greek › B1 › πάπια
πάπια
duck /ˈpa.pʝa/
nounB1#1911 most common
Example sentences
Η πάπια κολυμπάει στη λίμνη.
The duck swims in the lake.
Το παιδί ταΐζει την πάπια με ψωμί.
The child feeds the duck bread.
Στο πάρκο είδαμε πολλές πάπιες να κολυμπούν.
In the park we saw many ducks swimming.
Ο αγρότης φροντίζει τις πάπιες του κάθε πρωί πριν πάει στη δουλειά.
The farmer looks after his ducks every morning before going to work.
Όταν τον ρώτησαν για το λάθος, έκανε την πάπια και δεν απάντησε.
When they asked him about the mistake, he played dumb and did not answer.
Η μελέτη ανέδειξε τη σημασία των υγροτόπων για τον πληθυσμό των παπιών που μεταναστεύουν κάθε φθινόπωρο.
The study highlighted the importance of wetlands for the population of ducks that migrate every autumn.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η πάπια | οι πάπιες |
| Genitive | της πάπιας | των παπιών |
| Accusative | την πάπια | τις πάπιες |
| Vocative | πάπια | πάπιες |
Word family
παπάκιduckling, little duck
παπίduckling (colloquial term)
κάνω την πάπιαidiom: to play dumb, to feign ignorance
Etymology
Πάπια is a Byzantine-era word, not the Ancient Greek term for duck, which was νῆσσα or νῆττα. Most Greek dictionaries treat it as an onomatopoeic formation, built on a child's-speech syllable that echoes the bird's cry, rather than as a direct inheritance from an older Greek root. Because of this, it has no secure link to a reconstructed Proto-Indo-European ancestor.
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