Words / B2

BEEK/biːk/

A beak is the hard pointed mouth of a bird: a hooked beak; the beak of. Bill is a close twin in biology; snout is for mammals. Label the beak on the bird diagram, then the diet it matches. Mix-up: beak vs peak; beach; do not write beak for a mammal jaw or for a human mouth in informal slang unless the source uses it.

Meaning

The hard pointed mouth of a bird.

Examples

• “Label the beak on the bird diagram, then the diet it matches, the biology paper said.”
• “Beak shape featured in the adaptation case, which is still a named species — quote the food if given.”

Good to know

a hooked / pointed beak; the beak of. Close: bill. Trap: peak / a mammal snout. Biology. A bird’s hard mouth — name the species and the diet.

Near in meaning

bill, mandible, rostrum

New