bec

Alternative forms

• beç

Etymology

Onomatopoeic. From the bleating sound, with -c/ç suffix.^[1]

Noun

bec m (plural beca, definite beci, definite plural becat)

1. lamb

References

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin beccus (“beak”), from Gaulish *beccos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos.

Etymology 2

Etymology

Inherited from Old French bec, from Latin beccus (“beak”), from Gaulish *beccos, from Proto-Celtic *bekkos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛk/

  • Audio:

    (file)

• IPA^(key): /bɛ/, /be/ (obsolete, but retained in béjaune and bédane)

Noun

bec m (plural becs)

1. (anatomy) beak, bill (of a bird)
2. (colloquial, North of France, Belgium, North America, Switzerland) kiss

   Synonyms: bécot, bise, bisou

   Elle m’a fait un bec en partant.

   She gave me a kiss in parting.

3. (slang) mouth

   Certains l’imaginent avec une pépée, un cigare au coin du bec, quelque part sous les cocotiers.

   Some imagined him with a pipe, a cigar in the corner of his mouth, somewhere under the coconut trees.

Further reading

• “bec”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• BCE

Etymology

From Latin beccus (“beak”), from Gaulish *beccos.

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Noun

bec m (plural becs)

1. beak, bill (of a bird)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse bekkr (“brook, creek, stream”).

Noun

bec

1. river (cf. English: beck, a stream or small river)

Alternative forms

• bœ̄ċ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːt͡ʃ/

Noun

bēċ

1. inflection of bōc:
   1. genitive/dative singular
   2. nominative/accusative plural

Pronunciation

From Latin beccus.

Noun

bec oblique singular, m (oblique plural bes, nominative singular bes, nominative plural bec)

1. beak, bill (of a bird)

Alternative forms

• becc

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *biggos (“small”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲeɡ/

Adjective

bec (comparative lugu)

1. small

Adverb

bec

1. almost (followed by the negative particle nach)
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 90^c17

     .i. bec nacham·ralae i nderchoíniud ón

     i.e. that is, it has almost cast me into despair.

Mutation

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bec”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology

Borrowed from French bec (de gaz).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

bec n (plural becuri)

1. lightbulb