Etymology From Middle English bec, borrowed from Anglo-Norman bec, Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish *bekkos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos (“beak, snout”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Breton beg (“beak”). Compare Saterland Frisian Bäk (“mouth; muzzle; beak”); Dutch bek (“beak; bill; neb”).
Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences A rigid structure projecting from the front of a bird's face, used for pecking, grooming, foraging, carrying items, eating food, etc.
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Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences A similar pointed structure forming the nose and mouth of various animals, such as turtles, platypuses, whales, etc.
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Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera.
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Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve.
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Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal.
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Anatomy, Biology, Botany, Medicine, Natural sciences, Sciences Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant.
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Broadly Anything projecting or ending in a point like a beak, such as a promontory of land.
At the townes end, Cuddenbeak, an ancient house of the Bishops, from a well aduanced Promontory, which intituled it Beak1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall, London: […] S[imon] S[tafford] for Iohn Iaggard, […], →OCLC:
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ArchitectureBroadly A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off.
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Farriery, Hobbies, Horses, Lifestyle, Pets, SportsBroadly A toe clip.
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Nautical, TransportBroadly That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.
Nautical, TransportBroadly A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, used as a ram to pierce the vessel of an enemy.
Biology, Entomology, Natural sciencesBroadly Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Libythea, notable for the beak-like elongation on their heads.
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Slang A person's nose, especially one that is large and pointed.
"You mind your own business, curse you!" growled Silas. "I've told you before now not to push that long, sheeny beak of yours into my affairs. If you was a man I'd know better how to speak to you."1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Which Introduces Some Very Physical Phenomena”, in The Land of Mist, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, published 1926, →OCLC, page 186:
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Eastern, Ontario, Especially, Slang A person's mouth.
Shut your beak!
'Did you think that bloody question up by yourself, pal?' Seánie snapped, and the guy opened and closed his beak a few times — I suppose he must have been surprised that a priest would talk like that.1998, Joseph O'Connor, The Salesman, London: Secker & Warburg, →ISBN, page 43:
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Typical Yankee detractor, nize your beak.2020 October 19, u/southsidejane, “How do we stop the violence in the city (Serious Answers only ) how do we make the different hoods in Toronto make amends and squash the beef.”, in Reddit, r/Torontology, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2024:
I just stay in bed till about 2pm. Then I sit around and smoke weed. Sometimes we do beak [cocaine] or garys [ecstasy or MDMA] but I don't do that on the street because your jaw swings like fuck and you would need a good kip half the time. I do it every weekend though and it's fucking great. I'm being good tonight. I'll have a Bud and a smoke.2007 August 24, Audrey Gillan, anonymous quotee, “The Nogzy, the Crocky and the bizzies - a teen 'soldier' speaks”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 Jul 2022:
Etymology From Middle English bec, borrowed from Anglo-Norman bec, Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish *bekkos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos (“beak, snout”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“pointed stick, peg”). Cognate with Breton beg (“beak”). Compare Saterland Frisian Bäk (“mouth; muzzle; beak”); Dutch bek (“beak; bill; neb”).
Knew the Jampot well. I spent many an afternoon while I was beaking school in that fine establishment.2008 January 11, jemmy hope (username), “Re: Sandy Row”, in Belfast Forum:
I was living at home at her age, by and large doing what my parents told me, apart from beaking school.2017, Paddy Armstrong, Life After Life: A Guildford Four Memoir:
They take up men, Dick, for going about in women's clothes, and vice versaw, I suppose. You'll bail me, old fellaa, if I have to make my bow to the beak, won't you?1859, George Meredith, chapter XXXVIII, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:
Harry looked rather bulky, you know, Tom, and the slop (policeman) says, 'Hallo, what you got here?' and by [blank] he took us both before the beak.1866, Temple Bar: A London Magazine for Town and Country Readers:
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Thus does history repeat itself, and that foolish beak, with Tom Linden before him, was but Felix judging Paul.1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
That an unnamed 22-year-old will be up before the Colchester beak in March under the Road Traffic Act's recherché section 3 – covering inconsiderate driving and with a maximum fine of £5,000 – may at first sight seem a facetious use of court resources.2014 January 24, Matthew Norman, “Hercules of the Yard can fix boorish Britain: There's a long list of possible miscreants for the Essex PC who made a splash over a puddle [print version: 25 January 2014]”, in The Daily Telegraph, page 27:
In 1854, ill health forced Henry [Fielding] to stop running the organisation that later became the Bow Street Runners, London's first professional police force, and John [Fielding] took over. This despite having lost his sight in a naval accident at the age of 19. He was known as the Blind Beak, and was said to be able to recognise as many as 3,000 criminals by their voices alone.2014 April 12, Christopher Middleton, “Dream home: one of Chelsea's most historic houses is for sale: We deliver our verdict on a London landmark that comes with an impeccable legal pedigree [print version: What price justice? In this case, a cool £14.5m]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property), London, page P9:
It’s easy enough to be a beak when you’re young and athletic, and can offer the latest University smattering. The difficulty is to keep your place when you get old and stiff, and younger smatterers are pushing up behind you. Crawl into a boarding-house and you’re safe. A master’s life is frightfully tragic.1907, E.M. Forster, The Longest Journey, Part II, XX [Uniform ed., p. 201]