nonnetje

Dutch
Mergellus albellus (male) in Nederlandsche vogelen, 1770-1829
Mergellus albellus (female) in Nederlandsche vogelen, 1770-1829

Etymology

Literally, “little nun”.

  • The sense "smew" is derived from the black and white coloring of the male's plumage.
  • The sense "mollusk" is said to derive from fishermen's slang, alluding to nuns' chastity: reportedly, the clam is difficult to open with the tongue. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. probably too funny to be true, but who knows? the nl.wiki entry has a cite for it. I suspect other theories exist.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈnɔnətjə/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

nonnetje n (plural nonnetjes)

  1. Diminutive of non
  2. The smew, a type of merganser, Mergellus albellus
    Synonym: kleine zaagbek
  3. The Baltic macoma, Baltic clam, Baltic tellin, Limecola balthica syn. Macoma balthica

Further reading
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