pelican

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pelican^¹

/ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/ UK, US
/ˈpɛl.ə.kən/ UK, US

Where it comes from

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

πέλεκυς (pélekus, “hatchet”).

noun pelicans · pelecan

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 desir
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.
Similar: dental pelican
Canada, slang A waterbomber.
slang An ageing prostitute.

Pelican^²

proper noun

A suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales.
A rural locality in Western Downs Region, Queensland.
A minor city on Chichagof Island, Alaska.
An unincorporated community in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana.
A township in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, named after Pelican Lake (Crow Wing County, Minnesota).
A township in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, named after the Pelican River (Otter Tail River tributary).
A town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, named after Pelican Lake (Oneida County, Wisconsin).

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: family pelecanidae, pelecanidae, swans, pelecan, pelecaniform, pelecanoidid, diving petrel, parrot, pecker, pelicanry, diving-petrel, australian pelican, pachyptile, brown pelican, spot-billed pelican, seagull

Translations

Every language

noun any of various seabirds of the family Pelecanidae

Español	pelícano
한국어	펠리컨 pellikeon
日本語	ペリカン perikan, 伽藍鳥 garanchō
中文	鵜鶘 /鹈鹕 tíhú
Kiswahili	mwari
Português	pelicano
Français	pélican
Deutsch	Pelikan
Italiano	pellicano
Ελληνικά	πελεκάνος pelekános
Română	pelican
Русский	пелика́н pelikán
Tiếng Việt	bồ nông
العربية	بَجَع bajaʕ
עברית	שַׂקְנַאי

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Cite this

MLA

"pelican." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pelican. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pelican. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pelican

Chicago

"pelican." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pelican.

BibTeX

@misc{pelican_2026,
  title = {pelican},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pelican},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}