beak (redirected from beak avulsion)

beak

 or bill

Stiff, projecting oral structure of birds and turtles (both of which lack teeth) and certain other animals (e.g., cephalopods and some insects, fishes, and mammals). The term bill is preferred for the beak of a bird, which is composed of upper and lower jaws covered by a horny sheath of skin, with the nostrils on top, usually at the base. The shapes and sizes of bills are adapted for obtaining food, preening, building nests, and other functions; they range from the long, slim bills of nectar-sipping hummingbirds to the sturdy, curved, nut-cracking bills of parrots.

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beak

1. the projecting jaws of a bird, covered with a horny sheath; bill

2. any beaklike mouthpart in other animals, such as turtles

3. Architect the upper surface of a cornice, which slopes out to throw off water

4. Chem the part of a still or retort through which vapour passes to the condenser

5. Nautical another word for ram

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beak [bēk]

(botany)

Any pointed projection, as on some fruits, that resembles a bird bill.

(invertebrate zoology)

The tip of the umbo in bivalves.

(vertebrate zoology)

The bill of a bird or some other animal, such as the turtle.

A projecting jawbone element of certain fishes, such as the sawfish and pike.