beak
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: anatomy
architecture
biology
botany
entomology
farriery
hobbies
horses
lifestyle
medicine
natural-sciences
nautical
pets
sciences
sports
transport
Etymology: From Middle English bec, borrowed from Anglo-Norman bec, Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish *bekkos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos (“beak, snout”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Breton beg (“beak”). Compare Saterland Frisian Bäk (“mouth; muzzle; beak”); Dutch bek (“beak; bill; neb”).
Inflected forms:
form: beaks
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: beck
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: beaks
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: beaking
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: beaked
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: beaked
pos: verb
tags: past
form: beck
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: A rigid structure projecting from the front of a bird's face, used for pecking, grooming, foraging, carrying items, eating food, etc.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A similar pointed structure forming the nose and mouth of various animals, such as turtles, platypuses, whales, etc.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Anything projecting or ending in a point like a beak, such as a promontory of land.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
examples: At the townes end, Cuddenbeak, an ancient house of the Bishops, from a well aduanced Promontory, which intituled it Beak
gloss: A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
gloss: A toe clip.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
gloss: That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
examples: Holonyms: bow, stem, forestem, prow, prore < ship < vessel
gloss: A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, used as a ram to pierce the vessel of an enemy.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
examples: Holonyms: bow, stem, forestem, prow, prore < ship < vessel
gloss: Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Libythea, notable for the beak-like elongation on their heads.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
gloss: A person's nose, especially one that is large and pointed.
pos: noun
tags: countable
slang
uncountable
examples: "You mind your own business, curse you!" growled Silas. "I've told you before now not to push that long, sheeny beak of yours into my affairs. If you was a man I'd know better how to speak to you."
gloss: A person's mouth.
pos: noun
tags: Eastern
Ontario
countable
especially
slang
uncountable
examples: Shut your beak!
'Did you think that bloody question up by yourself, pal?' Seánie snapped, and the guy opened and closed his beak a few times — I suppose he must have been surprised that a priest would talk like that.
Typical Yankee detractor, nize your beak.
gloss: Cocaine.
pos: noun
tags: Southern-England
slang
uncountable
examples: I just stay in bed till about 2pm. Then I sit around and smoke weed. Sometimes we do beak [cocaine] or garys [ecstasy or MDMA] but I don't do that on the street because your jaw swings like fuck and you would need a good kip half the time. I do it every weekend though and it's fucking great. I'm being good tonight. I'll have a Bud and a smoke.
gloss: To strike with the beak.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To seize with the beak.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To play truant.
pos: verb
tags: Northern-Ireland
intransitive
examples: Knew the Jampot well. I spent many an afternoon while I was beaking school in that fine establishment.
I was living at home at her age, by and large doing what my parents told me, apart from beaking school.
Derived words: beak and feather disease
beakfish
beakful
beakhead
beak-iron
beakish
beakless
beaklike
beakload
beaktip
beaky
bird's beak
boko
crossbeak
debeak
grosbeak
halfbeak
kaka beak
kakabeak
longbeak
parrot-beaked
psittacine beak and feather disease
saw-beaked
sneaky beak
stickybeak
wet one's beak
beak off
Translations: