Pelican
name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
"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."
- 2 large long-winged warm-water seabird having a large bill with a distensible pouch for fish wordnet
- 3 A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
- 4 A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation. obsolete
- 5 A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
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- 6 A waterbomber. Canada, slang
- 7 An ageing prostitute. slang
Proper Noun
- 1 A place in Australia:; A suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.
- 2 A place in Australia:; A rural locality in Western Downs Region, Queensland.
- 3 A place in the United States:; A minor city on Chichagof Island, Alaska.
- 4 A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana.
- 5 A place in the United States:; A township in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, named after Pelican Lake (Crow Wing County, Minnesota).
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- 6 A place in the United States:; A township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, named after the Pelican River (Otter Tail River tributary).
- 7 A place in the United States:; A town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, named after Pelican Lake (Oneida County, Wisconsin).
Example
More examples"A pelican can fit a lot of fish in its beak."
Etymology
From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).