beak

views updated May 21 2018

beak / bēk/ • n. a bird's horny projecting jaws; a bill. ∎  the similar horny projecting jaw of other animals, e.g., a turtle or squid. ∎ inf. a person's nose, esp. a hooked one: she can't wait to stick her beak in.DERIVATIVES: beaked adj. [in comb.] a yellow-beaked alpine chough. ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, of Celtic origin.

beak

views updated May 23 2018

beak
1. A rigid cylindrical or conical projection on the tip of a fruit (as in Geranium).

2. A projection in Orchidaceae that separates the anther from the stigmatic surface below it in the flower.

beak

views updated May 17 2018

beak
1. The bill of a bird.

2. See SHELL BEAK.

beak

views updated Jun 11 2018

beak XIII. ME. bec, bek (beck continuing till XVIII; the form with the lengthened vowel arose from the obl. form beke) — (O)Fr. bec :- L. beccus.

beak

views updated May 08 2018

beak See SHELL BEAK.

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