beak

[ beek ]

/ bik /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR beak ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the bill of a bird; neb.

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

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

Slang. a person's nose.

Entomology. proboscis(def 3).

Botany. a narrowed or prolonged tip.

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

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

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

Chiefly British Slang.

a judge; magistrate.
a schoolmaster.

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a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.

place or source of origin.

a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.

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Origin of beak

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

OTHER WORDS FROM beak

beaked

[beekt, bee-kid] /bikt, ˈbi kɪd/, adjectivebeak·less, adjectivebeak·like, adjectivebeak·y, adjective

un·der·beak, noun

Words nearby beak

beady eye, beady-eyed, beagle, beaglehole, beagling, beak, beaked pelvis, beaked salmon, beaked whale, beaker, beaker cell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for beak

The key part of the costume, beyond the head-to-toe fabric, was the beak.
It’s Not Time to Worry About China’s Plague Just Yet|Kent Sepkowitz|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Duck Dynasty congressman got caught sticking his beak in the wrong place.
Duck Dynasty Congressman In Sex Scandal|Ben Jacobs|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I also like a bird's beak knife, for fiddly decorative things like making radish flowers and skinning apples in one long peel.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The braincase of the skull is crushed in three places as though by a raptor's beak.
American Weasels|E. Raymond Hall

His nose was thin and bony, with a high arch, and sharp at the end, like the beak of a bird.
Shaman|Robert Shea
I placed the beak of my shield over the head and neck of my horse, while I held the upper part over my own head.
King Arthur's Knights|Henry Gilbert
He is a little wizened old man with a nose like a bird's beak and he wears huge thick spectacles.
Servants of the Guns|Jeffery E. Jeffery
Beak short, slightly compressed and rounded at the tip, though more pointed than in Anomalopteryx.
Extinct Birds|Walter Rothschild

British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)

beak¹

/ (biːk) /

noun

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

any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles

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

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

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

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

nautical another word for ram (def. 5)

Derived forms of beak

beaked (biːkt), adjectivebeakless, adjectivebeaklike, adjectivebeaky, adjective

Word Origin for beak

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

British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)

beak²

/ (biːk) /

noun

a Brit slang word for judge, magistrate, headmaster, schoolmaster

Word Origin for beak

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

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beak

noun

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Origin of beak

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British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of beak

Word Origin for beak

British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for beak

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

beak

noun

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Origin of beak

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Words related to beak

Example sentences from the Web for beak

British Dictionary definitions for beak (1 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of beak

Word Origin for beak

British Dictionary definitions for beak (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for beak