pel ‧ i ‧ can /ˈpelɪkən/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1000-1100 ; Language: Late Latin ; Origin: pelecanus , from Greek , probably from pelekys 'ax' ; because of the shape of its beak ]
a large water bird that catches fish for food and stores them in a deep bag of skin under its beak