beccus

Latin

Etymology

Possibly borrowed from Gaulish *bekkos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *bak-, *baḱ- (“pointed stick, peg”). If so, then cognate with Middle English pegge (“peg”). More at peg.

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈbek.kus/, [ˈbɛk.kʊs]

Noun

beccus m (genitive beccī); second declension

beak, bill (especially of a cock)

Usage notes

The most usual word for "beak" is rostrum.

Inflection

Second declension.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	beccus	beccī
Genitive	beccī	beccōrum
Dative	beccō	beccīs
Accusative	beccum	beccōs
Ablative	beccō	beccīs
Vocative	becce	beccī

Descendants

Old French: bec
- French: bec
- Walloon: betch
- → Dutch: bek
- → English: beak
Esperanto: beko
Friulian: bec
Italian: becco
Old Portuguese: bico
- Galician: bico
- Portuguese: bico
Old Occitan: bec
- Catalan: bec
- Occitan: bèc
Romansch: bec
Spanish: pico

References

beccus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
beccus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
beccus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

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