Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Pelican” come from?

Pelican (English) comes from Middle English pellican, from Old English pellican, from Latin pelecānus, from Ancient Greek πελεκάν, from Ancient Greek πέλεκυς — two-edged axe for felling trees; battle axe,...

Ancestry of “Pelican”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpellican—
2Old Englishpellicanpelican
3Latinpelecānus—
4Ancient Greekπελεκάνpelican
5Ancient Greekπέλεκυςtwo-edged axe for felling trees; battle axe,...
Every word from Ancient Greek πέλεκυς →