Pelican
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Pelican is a noun meaning Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
Meaning
Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
More Meanings
- A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
- (dentistry) A set of forceps used to force overcrowded teeth apart.
- (Canada, slang, firefighting) A waterbomber.
- (chemistry, obsolete) A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.
- (slang) An ageing prostitute.
Example Sentences
Pelicans fly below us with stiffly formal strokes, and gulls wheel and keen.
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.
Word Forms
- pelicans
- pelecan
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include swans, pelecan, pelecaniform, pelecanoidid, parrot, pecker.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.