peck

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peck 1

 (pĕk)
v. pecked, peck·ing, pecks
v.tr.
1. To strike with the beak or a pointed instrument.
2. To make (a hole, for example) by striking repeatedly with the beak or a pointed instrument.
3. To grasp and pick up with the beak: The bird pecked insects from the log.
4. Informal To kiss briefly and casually.
v.intr.
1. To make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument.
2. To eat in small sparing bits; nibble: He pecked at his dinner.
3. To make repeated criticisms; carp: pecked at the kitchen staff.
n.
1.
a. A stroke or light blow with the beak or a pointed instrument.
b. A mark or hole made by such a stroke.
2. Informal A light quick kiss.

[Middle English pecken, probably variant of piken, to peck (perhaps influenced by Middle Low German pekken); see pick1.]

peck 2

 (pĕk)
n.
1. Abbr. pk.
a. A unit of dry volume or capacity in the US Customary System equal to 8 quarts or approximately 537.6 cubic inches.
b. A unit of dry volume or capacity in the British Imperial System equal to 8 quarts or approximately 554.8 cubic inches.
2. A container holding or measuring a peck.
3. Informal A large quantity; a lot: a peck of troubles.

[Middle English.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

peck

(pɛk)
n
1. (Units) a unit of dry measure equal to 8 quarts or one quarter of a bushel
2. (Units) a container used for measuring this quantity
3. a large quantity or number
[C13: from Anglo-Norman, of uncertain origin]

peck

(pɛk)
vb
1. (when: intr, sometimes foll by at) to strike with the beak or with a pointed instrument
2. (sometimes foll by: out) to dig (a hole) by pecking
3. (tr) (of birds) to pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking
4. (often foll by: at) to nibble or pick (at one's food)
5. informal to kiss (a person) quickly and lightly
6. (foll by: at) to nag
n
7. a quick light blow, esp from a bird's beak
8. a mark made by such a blow
9. informal a quick light kiss
[C14: of uncertain origin; compare pick1, Middle Low German pekken to jab with the beak]

Peck

(pɛk)
n
(Biography) Gregory. 1916–2003, US film actor; his films include Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Gunfighter (1950), The Big Country (1958), To Kill a Mockingbird (1963), The Omen (1976), and Other People's Money (1991)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

peck1

(pɛk)

n.
1. a dry measure of 8 quarts; the fourth part of a bushel, equal to 537.6 cubic inches (8.81 liters). Abbr.: pk
2. a container for measuring this quantity.
3. a considerable quantity: a peck of trouble.
[1250–1300; Middle English pek < Anglo-French; ulterior orig. obscure]

peck2

(pɛk)

v.t.
1. to strike or pierce with the beak, as a bird does, or with some pointed instrument.
2. to make (a hole, puncture, etc.) by doing this.
3. to take (food) bit by bit, with or as if with the beak.
v.i.
4. to make strokes with the beak or a pointed instrument.
5. peck at,
a. to nibble indifferently at (food).
b. to nag or carp at.
n.
6. a quick stroke, as in pecking.
7. a hole or mark made by or as if by pecking.
8. a quick, almost impersonal kiss.
[1300–50; Middle English pecke < Middle Dutch pecken; akin to pick1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Peck

 a measured quantity of either dry or wet substance; a fourth part of a bushel; more generally, a considerable quantity or number.
Examples: peck of ashes, 1710; of bees, 1713; of corn, 1386; of dirt, 1710; of kisses; of lies, 1539; of luck; of malt, 1789; of oatmeal, 1464; of oats, 1485; of pepper; of salt, 1603; of troubles, 1535.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

peck


Past participle: pecked
Gerund: pecking

Imperative
peck
peck
Present
I peck
you peck
he/she/it pecks
we peck
you peck
they peck
Preterite
I pecked
you pecked
he/she/it pecked
we pecked
you pecked
they pecked
Present Continuous
I am pecking
you are pecking
he/she/it is pecking
we are pecking
you are pecking
they are pecking
Present Perfect
I have pecked
you have pecked
he/she/it has pecked
we have pecked
you have pecked
they have pecked
Past Continuous
I was pecking
you were pecking
he/she/it was pecking
we were pecking
you were pecking
they were pecking
Past Perfect
I had pecked
you had pecked
he/she/it had pecked
we had pecked
you had pecked
they had pecked
Future
I will peck
you will peck
he/she/it will peck
we will peck
you will peck
they will peck
Future Perfect
I will have pecked
you will have pecked
he/she/it will have pecked
we will have pecked
you will have pecked
they will have pecked
Future Continuous
I will be pecking
you will be pecking
he/she/it will be pecking
we will be pecking
you will be pecking
they will be pecking
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been pecking
you have been pecking
he/she/it has been pecking
we have been pecking
you have been pecking
they have been pecking
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been pecking
you will have been pecking
he/she/it will have been pecking
we will have been pecking
you will have been pecking
they will have been pecking
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been pecking
you had been pecking
he/she/it had been pecking
we had been pecking
you had been pecking
they had been pecking
Conditional
I would peck
you would peck
he/she/it would peck
we would peck
you would peck
they would peck
Past Conditional
I would have pecked
you would have pecked
he/she/it would have pecked
we would have pecked
you would have pecked
they would have pecked
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

peck

(pk) A unit of dry volume. 1 peck = 2 gal.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

Peck

A unit of volume measure. One peck is two gallons, or a quarter bushel.
1001 Words and Phrases You Never Knew You Didn’t Know by W.R. Runyan Copyright © 2011 by W.R. Runyan
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.peck - (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extentpeck - (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent; "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money"
large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude
deluge, flood, inundation, torrent - an overwhelming number or amount; "a flood of requests"; "a torrent of abuse"
haymow - a mass of hay piled up in a barn for preservation
2.peck - a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 2 gallons
British capacity unit, Imperial capacity unit - a unit of measure for capacity officially adopted in the British Imperial System; British units are both dry and wet
bushel - a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 pecks
3.peck - a United States dry measure equal to 8 quarts or 537.605 cubic inches
United States dry unit - a unit of measurement of capacity for dry substances officially adopted in the United States Customary System
dry quart, quart - a United States dry unit equal to 2 pints or 67.2 cubic inches
bushel - a United States dry measure equal to 4 pecks or 2152.42 cubic inches
Verb1.peck - hit lightly with a picking motionpeck - hit lightly with a picking motion  
strike - deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon; "The teacher struck the child"; "the opponent refused to strike"; "The boxer struck the attacker dead"
2.peck - eat by pecking at, like a bird
eat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
3.peck - kiss lightly
buss, kiss, snog, osculate - touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.; "The newly married couple kissed"; "She kissed her grandfather on the forehead when she entered the room"
4.peck - eat like a bird; "The anorexic girl just picks at her food"
eat - take in solid food; "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
5.peck - bother persistently with trivial complaintspeck - bother persistently with trivial complaints; "She nags her husband all day long"
kvetch, plain, quetch, complain, sound off, kick - express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness; "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot to kick about"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

peck

verb
1. pick, bite, hit, strike, tap, poke, jab, prick, nibble The crow pecked his hand.
2. kiss, plant a kiss, give someone a smacker, give someone a peck or kiss She walked up to him and pecked him on the cheek.
noun
1. kiss, smacker, osculation (rare) He gave me a peck on the lips.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

peck 1

verb
Informal. To touch or caress with the lips, especially as a sign of passion or affection:
Slang: smooch.
phrasal verb
peck at
To scold or find fault with constantly:
Informal: henpeck.
noun
Informal. The act or an instance of kissing:
Slang: smooch.

peck 2

noun
1. Informal. A great deal:
Informal: barrel, heap, lot, pack, pile.
Regional: power, sight.
2. Informal. An indeterminately great amount or number:
jillion, million (often used in plural), multiplicity, ream, trillion.
Informal: bushel, gob (often used in plural), heap (often used in plural), load (often used in plural), lot, oodles, passel, scad (often used in plural), slew, wad, zillion.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
قُبْلَة سَريعَهنَقْرَهيُقَبِّل بِسُرْعَهيَلْتَقِط بِمِنقارِهيَلَتَقِط طَعامَه ، يأكُل قليلا
klovatklovnutíletmo políbitpolibekzobat
kysse letlet kyspikpikke
csipegetcsípéscsipkedmegpuszilpuszi
gogg, pikkgogga/kroppa íkyssa léttléttur kossnarta í
kapoti snapukirtis snapuknaibytilestipaknaibyti
ēst ļoti maz, knibinātknābātknābiensnoskūpstītskūpsts
ďobaťďobnutieletmo pobozkaťzobať
kljuvati
çok az yemekgagalamagagalamaköpücüköpücük kondurmak

peck

1 [pek]
A. Npicotazo m; (= kiss) → besito m, beso m rápido
B. VTpicotear; (= kiss) → dar un besito a, dar un beso rápido a
C. VIpicotear
to peck at [bird] → picar
he pecked at his foodpicaba la comida (con desgana)

peck

2 [pek] N medida de áridos (= 9,087 litros) (fig) → montón m
he got himself in a peck of troublese metió en un buen lío
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

peck

[ˈpɛk]
vt
(with beak)donner un coup de bec à
to peck a hole in sth → percer qch d'un coup de bec
(= kiss) to peck sb on the cheek → donner à qn un baiser rapide sur la joue
n
[bird] → coup m de bec
(= kiss) → baiser m rapide
to give sb a peck on the cheek → donner à qn un baiser rapide sur la joue
peck at
vt fus [bird] [+ hard surface] → donner des coups de bec sur; [+ plants] → picoter; [+ grains] → picorer, picoterpecking order peck order (US) nordre m hiérarchique
to be at the bottom of the pecking order → être en bas de l'échelle
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

peck

1
n (= dry measure)Viertelscheffel m

peck

2
n
(inf: = kiss) → flüchtiger Kuss m, → Küsschen nt
the hen gave him a peckdie Henne hackte nach ihm
vt
(bird)picken
(inf: = kiss) → ein Küsschen ntgeben (+dat)
vipicken (at nach)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

peck

[pɛk]
1. n (of bird) → beccata (fam) (kiss) → bacetto
to take a peck at → beccare
2. vt (subj, bird, grain) → beccare; (person) → dare una beccata a; (hole) → fare a furia di beccate
3. vi to peck at (subj, bird) → beccare; (person, food) → mangiucchiare
he pecked at his food → sbocconcellò il suo cibo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

peck

(pek) verb
1. (of birds) to strike or pick up with the beak, usually in order to eat. The birds pecked at the corn; The bird pecked his hand.
2. to eat very little. She just pecks (at) her food.
3. to kiss quickly and briefly. She pecked her mother on the cheek.
noun
1. a tap or bite with the beak. The bird gave him a painful peck on the hand.
2. a brief kiss. a peck on the cheek.
ˈpeckish adjective
rather hungry. I feel a bit peckish.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
"Getting my breakfast, of course," murmured the hen, busily pecking away.
As for sounds, there was the steady drone of the snorers and a small occasional noise, a flickering or pecking that I could in no way account for.
It was she whom I had heard pecking at a piece of bark; it was she, keeping better watch than any human being, who thus announced my arrival with her wearisome refrain.
"Yes, I know the spawn - complacently pecking at him for his Father Damien letter, analyzing him, weighing him - "
"Pecking at star-dust," Martin took up the strain warmly; "at the meteoric flight of the master-men.
I've been longing for some good, honest pecking this half-hour.
Sea fowls are pecking at the small crabs, shell-fish, and other sea candies and maccaroni, which the Right Whale sometimes carries on his pestilent back.
Miss Watson she kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome.
gallopavo reared under free-range rearing system spent relatively greater time in litter pecking (23.51%) followed by walking (19.99%), feeding (16.33%), preening (13.72%), feather pecking (6.07%), aggression (5.94%), drinking (5.90%), immobility (2.36%), standing (2.29%) and jumping (1.96%).
European Council Directive 1999/74/EC stipulates that litter must be provided for pecking and scratching, but the type of litter and the pad in which litter is delivered are not defined.
This paper extends the basic pecking order model of Shyam-Sunder and Myers by separating the effects of financing surpluses, normal deficits, and large deficits.
And it ends with the brilliant lyric: "Woody Woodpecker pecking on a tree/standing in the kitchen going peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck, peck ..."