pelican

[ pel-i-kuh n ]
/ ˈpɛl ɪ kən /

noun

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

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

Words nearby pelican

pelger-huët nuclear anomaly, pelham, pelham holles, pelham-holles, pelias, pelican, pelican crossing, pelican hook, pelican state, pelican-flower, pelike

Example sentences from the Web for pelican

British Dictionary definitions for pelican

pelican
/ (ˈpɛlɪkən) /

noun

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

Word Origin for pelican

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