pelican en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpɛl.ə.kən/ (UK, US)
- (US) audio
- /ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/ (UK, US)
Etymology
From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).
Meanings
-
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.
1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter III, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 54:Pelicans fly below us with stiffly formal strokes, and gulls wheel and keen.
1981, Gene Wolfe, chapter VIII, in The Claw of the Conciliator (The Book of the New Sun; 2), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, page 71:
- A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
- (obsolete) A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.
- A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
- (Canada, slang) A waterbomber.
- (slang) An ageing prostitute.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pelecan | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| pelicans | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
pelican crossing · pelicanish · brown pelican · pelicanlike · dental pelican · Pelican State · pelican eel · Australian pelican · Little Pelican · pelican spider · pelican pot · pelican gulper · pelican flower · Pelican Island · spot-billed pelican · pelicanry · pelicanist
Descendants
펠리컨 · pelikana · perikana · ペリカン · pelican
Synonyms
Translations (101)
ca pelicà (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · stq Pelikoan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sv pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · yi פּעליקאַן (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ast pelícanu (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · is pelíkani (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tl pelikano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · br pilikant (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ka ვარხვი (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ckb کەڵک (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · eo pelikano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · om aallaattii (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · gu પેણ (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ota سقا قوشی (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · eu pelikano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · az qutan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · km ទុង (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw alikampwani (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw jampawunga (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · kk бірқазан (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · cs pelikán (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · mk пелика́н (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · pt pelicano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · id pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ang stānġiella (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · el πελεκάνος (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ms burung undan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · nl pelikaan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · as ঢেঁৰা (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · nv tsídiidaatsohí (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ga peileacán (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · cmn 鵜鶘 /鹈鹕 (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · mnc ᡴᡡᡨᠠᠨ (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · fr pélican (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · kla komal (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw kipiwura (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · lv pelikāns (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · hu pelikán (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · es pelícano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · vo pelek (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · wo njagabaar bi (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw arlipiwura (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · it pellicano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw arlikampwarni (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · kum биркъазан (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · cy pelican (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw jintama (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · hy հավալուսն (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · fi pelikaani (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · gl pelicano (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · mi perikana (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · wyi wadjil (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · pl pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · wyi bil-e-gin (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · id burung undan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · oc pelican (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · my ငှက်ကြီးဝန်ပို (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sh pelìkān (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · mnc ᡨᡳᡵᡥᡡᡨᠠᠨ (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ja 伽藍鳥 (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · de Pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · no pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sh пелѝка̄н (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · he שַׂקְנַאי (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · enm pellican (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ru пелика́н (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · nay nori (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ksw ထိၣ်ဒိၣ်ဖုၣ်ခီၣ် (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · lt pelikanas (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ar بَجَع (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · bg пеликан (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · th กระทุง (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · et pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sw mwari (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · grc πελεκάν (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tiw alikwamparni (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tr pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ce пеликан (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · vi bồ nông (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · da pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sk pelikán (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sq laradash (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ko 펠리컨 (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sl pelikan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tk gotan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ro pelican (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · yxg bulualum (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · be пелікан (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sq bozhor (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · wrr jarnarran (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · uk пелікан (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · tl pagala (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sh nèsit (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · nrf pélican (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · la pelecānus (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · sh нѐсит (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · as ভেলা (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · ja ペリカン (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · hu gödény (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · rop baligan (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae) · grc ὀνοκρόταλος (any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae)