Added 10 October 2026

pelican

/ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/ noun

In Latin: pelecānus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pelican at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae, having a long bill with a distendable pouch.
A native or resident of the American state of Louisiana.
A retort or still having a curved tube or tubes leading back from the head to the body for continuous condensation and redistillation.

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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pelican

noun ! Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pelican at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Origin

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pelican at Wordnik → Where our words come from →