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beak
5 dictionary results for: beak
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
beak       [beek] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.the bill of a bird; neb.
2.any similar horny mouthpart in other animals, as the turtle or duckbill.
3.anything beaklike or ending in a point, as the spout of a pitcher.
4.Slang. a person's nose.
5.Entomology. proboscis (def. 3).
6.Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.
7.Nautical. (formerly) a metal or metal-sheathed projection from the bow of a warship, used to ram enemy vessels; ram; rostrum.
8.Typography. a serif on the arm of a character, as of a K.
9.Also called bird's beak. Architecture. a pendant molding forming a drip, as on the soffit of a cornice.
10.Chiefly British Slang.
a.a judge; magistrate.
b.a schoolmaster.
[Origin: 1175–1225; ME bec < OF < L beccus < Gaulish]

—Related forms
beaked       [beekt, bee-kid] Pronunciation Key, adjective
beakless, adjective
beaklike, adjective
beaky, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
beak       (bēk)  Pronunciation Key 


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n.  
    1. The horny, projecting structure forming the mandibles of a bird, especially one that is strong, sharp, and useful in striking and tearing; a bill.
    2. A similar structure in other animals, such as turtles, insects, or fish.
    3. The spout of a pitcher.
    4. A metal or metal-clad ram projecting from the bow of an ancient warship.
    5. A schoolmaster.
    6. A judge.
  2. A usually firm, tapering tip on certain plant structures, such as some seeds and fruits.
  3. A beaklike structure or part, as:
    1. The spout of a pitcher.
    2. A metal or metal-clad ram projecting from the bow of an ancient warship.
    3. A schoolmaster.
    4. A judge.
  4. Informal The human nose.
  5. Chiefly British Slang
    1. A schoolmaster.
    2. A judge.


[Middle English bek, from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, of Celtic origin.]

beaked (bēkt) adj.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
beak 
c.1220, "bird's bill," from O.Fr. bec, from L. beccus, said by Suetonius ("De vita Caesarum" 18) to be of Gaulish origin, perhaps from Gaulish beccus, possibly related to Celt. stem bacc- "hook." Or there may be a link in O.E. becca "pickax." Jocular sense of "human nose" is from 1854.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
beak

noun
1. beaklike mouth of animals other than birds (e.g., turtles) 
2. horny projecting mouth of a bird 
3. a beaklike, tapering tip on certain plant structures 
4. informal terms for the nose 

verb
1. hit lightly with a picking motion [syn: peck] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Beak

Beak\ (b[=e]k), n. [OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc, hook, W. bach.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The bill or nib of a bird, consisting of a horny sheath, covering the jaws. The form varied much according to the food and habits of the bird, and is largely used in the classification of birds. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera. (d) The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve. (e) The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal.

2. Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a promontory of land. --Carew.

3. (Antiq.) A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, in order to pierce the vessel of an enemy; a beakhead.

4. (Naut.) That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.

5. (Arch.) A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off.

6. (Bot.) Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant.

7. (Far.) A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.).

8. A magistrate or policeman. [Slang, Eng.]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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