a. [ OE., fr. sheld a shield, probably in allusion to the ornamentation of shields. See Shield. ] Variegated; spotted; speckled; piebald. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Perhaps for sheld dapple. Cf. Sheldrake. ] (Zool.) A chaffinch. [ Written also sheldapple, and shellapple. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The common sheldrake. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sheld + drake. ] 1. (Zool.) Any one of several species of large Old World ducks of the genus Tadorna and allied genera, especially the European and Asiatic species. (Tadorna cornuta syn. Tadorna tadorna), which somewhat resembles a goose in form and habit, but breeds in burrows. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It has the head and neck greenish black, the breast, sides, and forward part of the back brown, the shoulders and middle of belly black, the speculum green, and the bill and frontal bright red. Called also shelduck, shellduck, sheldfowl, skeelduck, bergander, burrow duck, and links goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The Australian sheldrake (Tadorna radja) has the head, neck, breast, flanks, and wing coverts white, the upper part of the back and a band on the breast deep chestnut, and the back and tail black. The chestnut sheldrake of Australia (Casarca tadornoides) is varied with black and chestnut, and has a dark green head and neck. The ruddy sheldrake, or Braminy duck (Casarca rutila), and the white-winged sheldrake (Casarca leucoptera), are related Asiatic species. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any one of the American mergansers. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The name is also loosely applied to other ducks, as the canvasback, and the shoveler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sheld variegated + duck. ] (Zool.) The sheldrake. [ Written also shellduck. ] [ 1913 Webster ]