pelican

[ pel-i-kuhn ]

noun
  1. any of several large, totipalmate, fish-eating birds of the family Pelecanidae, having a large bill with a distensible pouch.

  2. a still or retort with two tubes that leave the body from the neck, curve in opposite directions, and reenter the body through the belly.

Origin of pelican

1
before 1000; Middle English pellican,Old English <Late Latin pelicānus, variant of pelecān<Greek pelekā́n

Words Nearby pelican

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How to use pelican in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pelican

pelican

/ (ˈpɛlɪkən) /


noun
  1. any aquatic bird of the tropical and warm water family Pelecanidae, such as P. onocrotalus (white pelican): order Pelecaniformes. They have a long straight flattened bill, with a distensible pouch for engulfing fish

Origin of pelican

1
Old English pellican, from Late Latin pelicānus, from Greek pelekān; perhaps related to Greek pelekus axe, perhaps from the shape of the bird's bill; compare Greek pelekas woodpecker

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