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

"He had a small laceration to his beak and one just on the left side of his body - but other than that, he was pretty much absolutely fine," she said.

From BBC

More of the creature has now been recovered at the reserve - including its beak which is a hard mouth part used for crushing prey.

From BBC

Over time, however, many of the stranger pairs began sharing space more comfortably and eventually perched together, touched beaks or groomed each other.

From Science Daily

She converged her fingers to a point, wrists bent slightly, so that her hands formed two “beaks.”

From Los Angeles Times

It sailed through the air and slipped past Bertha’s beak and down her long, flexible neck so gently that the bird did nothing but blink.

From Literature

Related Words

• snout