pelican
n. countablen. a large water bird with a very long beak and a big throat pouch used for catching fish.
n. a large gregarious waterbird of the family Pelecanidae, characterised by a long bill and a distensible gular pouch used for scooping up fish.
The pelican dived into the water to catch a fish.
We watched a pelican perched on the pier, waiting for the fishing boats to return with their daily catch.
The brown pelican is a remarkable example of conservation success, having recovered from near extinction caused by pesticide contamination in the mid-twentieth century.
From Middle English pellican, pellicane, from Old English pellican (“pelican”), from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν (pelekán), πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 9, 2026