peck1
v.
- (of a bird) strike or bite with its beak.
- kiss lightly or perfunctorily.
-
(peck at)
informal eat (food) listlessly or daintily.
- type laboriously.
- archaic strike with a pick or other tool.
n.
- an act of pecking.
- a light or perfunctory kiss.
- archaic, informal food.
Etymology
ME: of unknown origin; cf. Mid. Low Ger. pekken ‘peck’.
peck2
n.
- a measure of capacity for dry goods, equal to a quarter of a bushel (2 imperial gallons = 9.092 l, or 8 US quarts = 8.81 l).
- archaic a large number or amount.
Etymology
ME: from Anglo-Norman Fr. pek.
peck3
v.
(of a horse) stumble as a result of striking the ground with the front rather than the flat of the hoof.
Etymology
var. of obs. pick ‘fix something pointed in the ground’.