bec (French)
Where does "bec" come from?
The French noun 'bec' descends from the Old French 'bec', originally derived from the Latin word 'beccus'. This Latin term likely entered the language from Gaulish, tracing its ultimate roots back to the Proto-Celtic '*bekkos' and the Proto-Indo-European base '*bak-', which referred to a peg or hook. Over time, the word moved from these humble, functional origins to define the beak or mouth of a creature.
Full etymology tree
- bec (French), 'beak, bill (of a bird)'
- inherited bec (Old French), 'beak, bill (of a bird)'
- inherited beccus (Latin), 'beak, bill (especially of a cock)'
- borrowed *beccos (Gaulish)
- inherited beccus (Latin), 'beak, bill (especially of a cock)'
- inherited bec (Old French), 'beak, bill (of a bird)'
Ancestors
- bec (Old French)
- beccus (Latin)
- *bekkos (Proto-Celtic)
Descendants and derived words
- baleine à bec (French)
- bec Bunsen (French)
- bec-de-cane (French)
- bec-de-lièvre (French)
- bec sucré (French)
- becter (French)
- bec verseur (French)
- béquille (French)
- beque (Portuguese)
- beque (Portuguese)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris