Definition of beak

The word "beak" has its origins in Old English. In Old English, the word was "bæc", which was derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*bakiz", meaning "bill" or "peak". This Proto-Germanic word is also the source of the Modern German word "Beak", Dutch word "bek", and the Frisian word "bekke", all meaning "beak" or "bill". In Middle English, the word "beak" emerged as a distinct term for the nose or bill of a bird, particularly a bird of prey. Over time, the meaning of the word expanded to include other bird-like features, such as the sharp, pointed tip of a bird's mouth. Today, the word "beak" is widely used in English to refer to the bill of a bird, and has also been adopted into many other languages to refer to similar bird-like features.