Peck

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /pɛk/

Definitions

1. To tap or jab rapidly with a pointed mouthpart ; to repeatedly make brief or slight contact ; to eat or pick at food in small, quick bites
2. To strike or prod quickly and lightly with a beak or similar pointed object ; to make a quick light impact or touch repeatedly ; to take small bites or nibbles of food
3. To hit sharply and swiftly with a pointed mouth organ ; to touch or strike repeatedly in a series of quick motions ; to consume food in tiny, rapid bites

Etymology: Before it meant striking with a beak, "peck" was a verb for picking or pricking with a pointed tool. Middle English "pecken" and "pekken" were variants of "piken" and "picken," which meant to pick, or to use a pointed implement. The bird sense grew out of that poking action: a beak jabbing at food or the ground is, in effect, a small pointed tool at work. The word also has a second, quite different life. In the sense of a unit of measure, a peck is a quarter of a bushel, and it is a separate word from the verb. Its origin is more uncertain. It is probably from Anglo-Norman "pek" or "pekke," though that word's own origin is unclear. The verb has another variant as well: an older sense of "pick" meaning to throw. That gives the word a modest connection to a common verb that most people would not link to a bird's beak.

Synonyms: nibble, bite, jab, strike, punch

Antonyms: caress, hug, embrace, kiss, fondle