*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of peck

From Middle English pecken, pekken, variant of Middle English piken, picken, pikken (“to pick, use a pointed implement”). More at pick.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An act of striking with a beak. · A small kiss.

verb

To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird). · To form by striking with the beak or a pointed instrument. · To strike, pick, thrust against, or dig into, with a pointed instrument, especially with repeated quick movements. · To seize and pick up with the beak, or as if with the beak; to bite; to eat; often with up.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English pecken, pekken, variant of Middle English piken, picken, pikken (“to pick, use a pointed implement”). More at pick.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionpeckenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionpikenenm

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "pecken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English pecken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "piken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English piken"
    }
  ],
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      "pecken#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "pekken#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "piken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "picken",
      "picken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
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      "pikken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pick",
      "pick#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "lexical": [
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        "An act of striking with a beak.",
        "A small kiss."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To strike or pierce with the beak or bill (of a bird).",
        "To form by striking with the beak or a pointed instrument.",
        "To strike, pick, thrust against, or dig into, with a pointed instrument, especially with repeated quick movements.",
        "To seize and pick up with the beak, or as if with the beak; to bite; to eat; often with up."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

One quarter of a bushel; a dry measure of eight quarts; equal to approximately 9092 cubic centimeters in the imperial system or 8810 cubic centimeters in the U.S. system. · Similar units in other systems of measure, such as the Roman modius or Chinese dou. · A great deal; a large or excessive quantity.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably from Anglo-Norman pek, pekke, of uncertain origin.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "quarter bushel"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "pek"
      },
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    }
  ],
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    [
      "pek",
      "pek#Old_French"
    ],
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      "pekke#Old_French"
    ]
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  "descendants": [
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      "lang_code": "ga",
      "word": "peic",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "pec",
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  ],
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        "One quarter of a bushel; a dry measure of eight quarts; equal to approximately 9092 cubic centimeters in the imperial system or 8810 cubic centimeters in the U.S. system.",
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To throw. · To lurch forward; especially, of a horse, to stumble after hitting the ground with the toe instead of the flat of the foot.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of pick (“to throw”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To throw.",
        "To lurch forward; especially, of a horse, to stumble after hitting the ground with the toe instead of the flat of the foot."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for peck →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cGVjaw