| 释义 |
beak
I. \ˈbēk\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English bec, from Old French, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish
1.
a. : the bill of a bird; sometimes : the bill of a bird of prey adapted for striking and tearing — often distinguished from bill
b. : the long projecting sucking mouth of some insects and other invertebrates (as in the typical bugs)
c. : the bill of some other animals (as the turtle and octopus)
d.
(1) : the tip of the umbo of a bivalve shell or a brachiopod
(2) : the prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal
e. : the human nose
< his face, with small beak and the pricked skin of smallpox — Saul Bellow >
f. : the projecting bony elements of the jaws of a fish (as in the pike) or of the upper jaw only (as in swordfish or sawfish) or of the lower jaw alone (as in the halfbeak)
2. : a pointed structure, formation, or construction:
a. : peak
b. : a beam shod or armed with a metal head or point projecting from the bow of an ancient galley for piercing the ship of an enemy
c. : promontory
d.
(1) : the spout of a vessel (as a teakettle)
(2) : the tapering tube of a retort
e. : one of the jaws of a forceps or pliers
f. : a continuous slight architectural projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet : the part of a drip from which water is thrown off — see molding illustration
g. : a process terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant and somewhat resembling the beak of a bird; especially : a short awn on the outer chaff of wheat
h. : the mouthpiece of a musical instrument (as the flageolet, clarinet, or flûte à bec)
3.
a. chiefly Britain : magistrate, justice of the peace
b. : a master at certain British public schools
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English beken, from Old French bequer, bequier, from bec
: peck : peck at : strike or seize with the beak |