beak

[ beek ]
See synonyms for: beakbeakedbeaklike on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the bill of a bird; neb.

  2. any similar horny mouthpart in other animals, as the turtle or duckbill.

  1. anything beaklike or ending in a point, as the spout of a pitcher.

  2. Slang. a person's nose.

  3. Entomology. proboscis (def. 3).

  4. Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.

  5. Nautical. (formerly) a metal or metal-sheathed projection from the bow of a warship, used to ram enemy vessels; ram; rostrum.

  6. Typography. a serif on the arm of a character, as of a K.

  7. Also called bird's beak. Architecture. a pendant molding forming a drip, as on the soffit of a cornice.

  8. Chiefly British Slang.

    • a judge; magistrate.

    • a schoolmaster.

Origin of beak

1
1175–1225; Middle English bec<Old French <Latin beccus<Gaulish

Other words from beak

  • beaked [beekt, bee-kid], /bikt, ˈbi kɪd/, adjective
  • beakless, adjective
  • beaklike, adjective
  • beaky, adjective
  • un·der·beak, noun

Words Nearby beak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beak in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)

beak1

/ (biːk) /


noun
  1. the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill

  2. any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles

  1. slang a person's nose, esp one that is large, pointed, or hooked

  2. any projecting part, such as the pouring lip of a bucket

  3. architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water

  4. chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser

  5. nautical another word for ram (def. 5)

Origin of beak

1
C13: from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, of Gaulish origin

Derived forms of beak

  • beaked (biːkt), adjective
  • beakless, adjective
  • beaklike, adjective
  • beaky, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)

beak2

/ (biːk) /


noun
  1. a Brit slang word for judge, magistrate, headmaster, schoolmaster

Origin of beak

2
C19: originally thieves' jargon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012