peck
English
/pɛk/
verb
Definitions
- (ambitransitive) To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird).
- (transitive) To form by striking with the beak or a pointed instrument.
- To strike, pick, thrust against, or dig into, with a pointed instrument, especially with repeated quick movements.
- To seize and pick up with the beak, or as if with the beak; to bite; to eat; often with up.
- To do something in small, intermittent pieces.
- To type by searching for each key individually.
- (rare) To type in general.
- To kiss briefly.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English pecken, piken.
Origin
Middle English
piken
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- antpecker English
- berrypecker English
- figpecker English
- flowerpecker English
- groundpecker English
- hen English
- henpeck English
- henpecker English
- henpeckery English
- nutpecker English
- oxpecker English
- pecker English
- peckerless English
- peckest English
- pecketh English
- peckish English
- peckishly English
- peckishness English
- pecky English
- pick English
- wood English
- woodpeck English
- woodpecker English
- *piccian Old English
- pecken Middle English
- pekker Middle English
- piken Middle English
- piker Middle English
- pikyng Middle English
- pyke Middle English
- pykeharneys Middle English