Link Centre Dictionary

beak

UK/biːk/ US/ˈbik/ fairly common slang uk
noun (3) verb (1)

noun

1.

beaklike mouth of animals other than birds (e.g., turtles)

2.
3.

verb

1.

hit lightly with a picking motion

Synonyms

Origin

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”).

Phrases

  • beak and feather disease
  • beak off
  • bird's beak
  • kaka beak
  • psittacine beak and feather disease
  • sneaky beak
  • wet one's beak

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.