English Explanatory Dictionary

pelican

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
  2. A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
  3. A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.
  4. A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
  5. A waterbomber.
  6. An ageing prostitute.
name
  1. A place in Australia:
  2. A suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.
  3. A rural locality in Western Downs Region, Queensland.
  4. A place in the United States:
  5. A minor city on Chichagof Island, Alaska.
  6. An unincorporated community in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana.
  7. A township in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, named after Pelican Lake (Crow Wing County, Minnesota).
  8. A township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, named after the Pelican River (Otter Tail River tributary).
  9. A town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, named after Pelican Lake (Oneida County, Wisconsin).

Pronunciation

/ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/ /ˈpɛl.ə.kən/ en-us-pelican.ogg

Word forms

pelican pelicans pelecan

Etymology

From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).

Synonyms

dental pelican

Derived words

Australian pelican brown pelican dental pelican Little Pelican pelican crossing pelican eel pelican flower pelican gulper pelicanish Pelican Island pelicanist pelicanlike pelican pot pelicanry pelican spider Pelican State spot-billed pelican
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