pelican
See also: pélican
English

a pelican
Etymology
From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).
Noun
pelican (plural pelicans)
- Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
- 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], OCLC 24531354, page 54:
- The old have outlived that mental world we so misname in calling it a world of enjoyment;—they have outlived the feverish dreams which waste those keen hopes—the pelicans of the heart, feeding on the life-blood of their parent;—they have now no part in the excitement of success, whether in its desire or disappointment.
-
- A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
- (chemistry, obsolete) A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.
- (dentistry) A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
Derived terms
- dental pelican
- pelican crossing
- pelicanist
- pelican pot
- pelican spider
- Pelican State
Translations
any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae
|
Middle English
Occitan
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Romanian
Alternative forms
- pelecan (dated)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pe.liˈkan/
Declension
Declension of pelican
Derived terms
Related terms
- pelecaniforme
See also
- steganipod
References
- pelican in DEX online - Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.