Meaning of peck in English

Table of contents

Verb
peck
Etymology
late Middle English: of unknown origin; compare with Middle Low German pekken‘peck (with the beak)’
Definitions
1. hit lightly with a picking motion
Derived terms
- beak
- bill
- neb
- nib
- pecker
2. eat by pecking at, like a bird
Derived terms
- beak
- bill
- neb
- nib
- pecker
3. kiss lightly
Derived terms
- smack
- smooch
4. eat like a bird
Examples
- « The anorexic girl just picks at her food »
5. bother persistently with trivial complaints
Examples
- « She nags her husband all day long »
Derived terms
Noun
peck
Etymology
Middle English (used especially as a measure of oats for horses): from Anglo-Norman French pek, of unknown origin
Definitions
1. (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
Examples
- « a batch of letters »
- « a deal of trouble »
- « a lot of money »
- « he made a mint on the stock market »
- « it must have cost plenty »
Derived terms
- chock up
- cram
- heap
- jam
- jampack
- mob
- pack
- pile
- ram
- throng
- wad
2. a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 2 gallons
3. a United States dry measure equal to 8 quarts or 537.605 cubic inches

Famous quotes

« My biggest hero, Gregory Peck, was my birthday present on April 14, 1973. I just sat and stared at him. »
Loretta Lynn