Pelican

name, noun, slang

name, noun, slang ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 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. 2
    large long-winged warm-water seabird having a large bill with a distensible pouch for fish wordnet
  3. 3
    A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
  4. 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. 5
    A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
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  1. 6
    A waterbomber. Canada, slang
  2. 7
    An ageing prostitute. slang
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A place in Australia:; A suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.
  2. 2
    A place in Australia:; A rural locality in Western Downs Region, Queensland.
  3. 3
    A place in the United States:; A minor city on Chichagof Island, Alaska.
  4. 4
    A place in the United States:; An unincorporated community in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana.
  5. 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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  1. 6
    A place in the United States:; A township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, named after the Pelican River (Otter Tail River tributary).
  2. 7
    A place in the United States:; A town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, named after Pelican Lake (Oneida County, Wisconsin).

Synonyms

All synonyms
colordental pelicanmagpiepigment

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”).

Related phrases

Australian pelicanLittle PelicanLittle PelicanPelican IslandPelican Statebrown pelicandental pelicanpelican crossingpelican eelpelican flowerpelican gulperpelican pot

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.