Word Confusion: Pec versus Peck

Posted July 27, 2021 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

“Tall with wide shoulders, defined biceps, pecks and the obligatory six pack . . .”

Yep, them pecks. I can’t figure out if he’s picking away at some food or bestowing someone or a pet with quick kisses.

Then again, from the context, I think the author actually meant pecs, an informal reference to the pectoral muscles. ‘Cause, I gotta tell ya, I’d really prefer to look at a man with fabulous pecs who gives me pecks. Or more . . .

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Pec	Peck
Man’s Chest by Ron Sanderson is in the public domain, via PublicDomainPictures.net. — Oooh, nice pecs.	Baskets of Corn, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by Avery Ramsey is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — “I love you bushels and a peck…”
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: pecs	Noun ¹, ²; Verb ¹, intransitive ³ & transitive Plural for the noun and third person present verb: pecks Past tense or past participle: pecked Gerund or present participle: pecking
[Informal] A pectoral muscle (especially with reference to the development of these muscles in bodybuilding)	Noun: A stroke, indent, or bite by a bird with its beak ¹ A hole or mark made by or as by pecking A light or perfunctory kiss [Archaic; informal] Food [In timber] Incipient decay from fungi, occurring in isolated spots A measure of capacity for dry goods, equal to a quarter of a bushel ² (8 US quarts = 8.81 liters) (2 imperial gallons = 9.092 liters) [Archaic] A large number or amount of something A considerable quantity Verb, intransitive: [Of a bird; sometimes followed by at] Strike or bite something with its beak ¹ [Informal; of a person; peck at] Eat (food) listlessly or daintily [peck at] Criticize or nag [Of a horse] Pitch forward or stumble as a result of striking the ground with the front rather than the flat of the hoof ³ Verb, transitive: [Of a bird] Strike or bite something with its beak, especially with quick, repeated movements ¹ Make (a hole, puncture, etc.) by striking with the beak [Of birds] To pick up (corn, worms, etc) by pecking [Sometimes followed by out] To dig (a hole) by pecking Pierce Kiss (someone) lightly or perfunctorily Type (something) slowly and laboriously [Archaic] Strike with a pick or other tool
Examples:
Jenkins was pumping up his pecs to impress the babes. His biceps and pecs were obviously well built, you know, unlike those scary bodybuilder types. The venue was packed with babes in bikinis and muscle men flashing their pecs. Although it may not be the principal motivator, according to a recent survey, women look at men’s pecs second only to their bum. Who in the heavens could match his pecs, his flawless jawline, his crystalline gaze?	Noun: The bird managed to give its attacker a sharp peck. He gave me a fatherly peck on the cheek. He wants a little more peck. Structural grading rules may include a characterization of decay, such as firm red heart, unsound red heart, heart center decay, white specks, honeycomb, or peck” (Blankenhorn). We need four pecks to make up a bushel of apples. Two pecks make a kenning, and four pecks make a bushel. It’s about a peck of dirt. A peck basket measures 7½ inches high with a base diameter of 9 inches. You, my boy, are in a peck of trouble. Verb, intransitive: Mom, Mom, we saw two geese pecking at some grain. Don’t peck at your food, eat a whole mouthful. He had so many defects for a critic to peck at. Her father’s horse had pecked slightly on landing. Verb, transitive: Vultures pecked out the calf’s eyes. Robins are the worst culprits, pecking holes in every cherry. She pecked him on the cheek. His son Paul was pecking out letters with two fingers on his typewriter. Part of a wall had been pecked down and carted away.
Derivatives:
	Abbreviation: pk, pk. Adjective: peckish, unpecked Noun: peckings
History of the Word:
From pectoral, a late Middle English (in the sense breastplate) is from the Latin pectorale ‘meaning breastplate, pectoralis meaning of the breast, from pectus, pector- meaning breast, chest.	Late Middle English of unknown origin. Compare with the Middle Low German pekken meaning peck (with the beak). Middle English (used especially as a measure of oats for horses) is from the Anglo-Norman French pek, which is of unknown origin. A variant of the obsolete pick meaning fix (something pointed) in the ground.

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

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Resources for Pec versus Peck

Apple Dictionary.com

Blankenhorn, P.R. “Wood: Sawn Materials.” Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and Technology. ScienceDirect.com. 2001. Web. 3 July 2021. <https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/nursing-and-health-professions/soft-rot>.

Dictionary.com: peck

Lexico.com: pec