beak

[beek]
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; Middle English bec < Old French < Latin beccus < Gaulish

beaked [beekt, bee-kid] , adjective
beak·less, adjective
beak·like, adjective
beak·y, adjective
un·der·beak, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To beak
00:10
Beak is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
beak1 (biːk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill
2.  any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles
3.  slang a person's nose, esp one that is large, pointed, or hooked
4.  any projecting part, such as the pouring lip of a bucket
5.  architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water
6.  chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser
7.  nautical another word for ram
 
[C13: from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, of Gaulish origin]
 
beaked1
 
adj
 
'beakless1
 
adj
 
'beaklike1
 
adj
 
'beaky1
 
adj

beak2 (biːk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
judge magistrate headmaster a Brit slang word for schoolmaster
 
[C19: originally thieves' jargon]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

beak
early 13c., "bird's bill," from O.Fr. bec (Fr. bec) "beak," figuratively "mouth," also "tip or point of a nose, a lance, a ship, a shoe," 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, sharp end." Jocular sense of "human nose" is from 1854.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

beak definition


  1. n.
    a nose. : What a beak on that guy!
  2. in.
    to gossip; to chatter. : Stop beaking and get to work.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The pigeon was thus forced to use its beak to peck at a target-such as a ship,
  building or specific street corner.
To the uninitiated, a real, live snapper is a turtle with a fierce bony beak.
He peered down at the water's surface and imagined the ancient ornamental beak.
He remembered a hornbill, which was simply a huge yellow beak with a small bird
  tied on behind it.
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