beak

American  

[beek] / bik /

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.

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.

    1. a judge; magistrate.

    2. a schoolmaster.

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beak ¹ British  

/ biːkt, 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

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

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beak ² British  

/ biːk /

noun

1. a Brit slang word for judge magistrate headmaster schoolmaster

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Other Word Forms

• beaked adjective
• beakless adjective
• beaklike adjective
• beaky adjective
• underbeak noun

Etymology

Origin of beak

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

Example Sentences

One of the yellow birds bounced onto a stack of notebooks, while the others lifted modern ballpoint pens and quills with their beaks.

From Literature

Dragonflies skimmed the surface, and a turquoise kingfisher dived into the water and flew out with a wriggling flash of silver in its beak.

From Literature

Gelifen couldn’t yet fly alongside her, so she tucked him into her jumper, his beaked face protruding from the blue wool at the top.

From Literature

Yet here was the hawk with very expensive-looking sunglasses across his beak like he had been born with them.

From Literature

As their diets diversified, their beaks evolved to match the ecological roles they occupied.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• snout