Ente

Ente is a common noun in German that denotes a duck. The term covers both wild and domestic waterfowl and is used for the species in general. The female is simply referred to as a duck (die Ente), while the male is more often called der Erpel in specific contexts. The plural form is Enten. The word appears in everyday language, in wildlife discussions, and in culinary terms such as Entenbrust (duck breast). A well-known duck species in German-speaking regions is die Stockente, the mallard, which is common in Europe and North America.

In Italian, ente means an entity or organization and is used to describe a juridical or administrative body. It appears in phrases such as ente pubblico (public entity) and ente locale (local authority), where it denotes an institution with formal legal status. The term derives from Latin entitas and is widely used in legal, bureaucratic, and academic language to refer to an organized unit or being with recognized status.

Beyond these linguistic senses, Ente can also occur as a proper name in various contexts, including as a surname or as part of place or organizational names in different languages. The term is not tied to a single, universal concept, but rather exhibits distinct meanings in German and Italian and can appear in proper nouns in other linguistic environments.