pelican
Use Pelican in a sentence
ɪ noun
1.
any of several large, totipalmate, fish-eating birds of the family Pelecanidae, having a large bill with a distensible pouch.
2.
a still or retort with two tubes that leave the body from the neck, curve in opposite directions, and reenter the body through the belly.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English pellican, Old English < Late Latin pelicānus, variant of pelecān < Greek pelekā́n
before 1000; Middle English pellican, Old English < Late Latin pelicānus, variant of pelecān < Greek pelekā́n
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pelican
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World English Dictionary
pelican (ˈpɛlɪkən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| any aquatic bird of the tropical and warm water family Pelecanidae, such as P. onocrotalus (white pelican): order Pelecaniformes. They have a long straight flattened bill, with a distensible pouch for engulfing fish | |
| [Old English pellican, from Late Latin pelicānus, from Greek pelekān; perhaps related to Greek pelekus axe, perhaps from the shape of the bird's bill; compare Greek pelekas woodpecker] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Pelican
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pelican
O.E. pellicane, from L.L. pelecanus, from Gk. pelekan "pelican" (so used by Aristotle), apparently related to pelekas "woodpecker" and pelekys "ax," perhaps so called from the shape of the bird's bill. Used in Septuagint to translate Heb. qaath. The fancy that it feeds its young on its own blood is an
Egyptian tradition properly belonging to some other bird.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
For every pelican or whale found beached or floating at sea, some much larger number died.
The brown pelican nesting grounds are a critical part of the pelicans habitat.
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