Pelicans


[pel-i-kuh n] /ˈpɛl ɪ kən/

noun
1.
any of several large, totipalmate, fish-eating birds of the family Pelecanidae, having a large bill with a distensible pouch.
2.
a still or retort with two tubes that leave the body from the neck, curve in opposite directions, and reenter the body through the belly.
/ˈpɛlɪkən/
noun
1.
any aquatic bird of the tropical and warm water family Pelecanidae, such as P. onocrotalus (white pelican): order Pelecaniformes. They have a long straight flattened bill, with a distensible pouch for engulfing fish
n.

Old English pellicane, from Late Latin pelecanus, from Greek pelekan “pelican” (so used by Aristotle), apparently related to pelekas “woodpecker” and pelekys “ax,” perhaps so called from the shape of the bird’s bill. Spelling influenced in Middle English by Old French pelican. Used in Septuagint to translate Hebrew qaath. The fancy that it feeds its young on its own blood is an Egyptian tradition properly belonging to some other bird. Louisiana has been known as the Pelican state at least since 1859.

are frequently met with at the waters of Merom and the Sea of Galilee. The pelican is ranked among unclean birds (Lev. 11:18; Deut. 14:17). It is of an enormous size, being about 6 feet long, with wings stretching out over 12 feet. The Hebrew name (kaath, i.e., “vomiter”) of this bird is incorrectly rendered “cormorant” in the Authorized Version of Isa. 34:11 and Zeph. 2:14, but correctly in the Revised Version. It receives its Hebrew name from its habit of storing in its pouch large quantities of fish, which it disgorges when it feeds its young. Two species are found on the Syrian coast, the Pelicanus onocrotalus, or white pelican, and the Pelicanus crispus, or Dalmatian pelican.

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    noun 1. Louisiana (used as a nickname).

  • Pelike

    [pel-i-kee] /ˈpɛl ɪˌki/ noun, plural pelikai [pel-i-kahy] /ˈpɛl ɪˌkaɪ/ (Show IPA). Greek and Roman Antiquity. 1. a storage jar with two handles extending from the lip to the shoulder, characterized by an oval body that is wider at the base than at the neck and rests on a foot.

  • Pelion

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  • Peliosis

    peliosis pe·li·o·sis (pē’lē-ō’sĭs, pěl’ē-) n. See purpura.

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    peliosis hepatis peliosis hep·a·tis (hěp’ə-tĭs) n. The presence of blood-filled cavities in the liver.


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