pecked

Pecked is the past tense and past participle of the verb peck, with several related senses. The primary sense involves delivering a rapid, light strike with a beak or a pointed tool, as when a bird pecks at grain. It can also mean to eat small bites, as in a bird or person pecking at food, or to make small, repetitive strokes or chips on a surface with a tool.

In animal behavior, pecking describes how birds interact with their environment and with each other, often to obtain food or establish social interaction. The phrase pecking order refers to the hierarchical arrangement among members of a group—most famously among chickens—established through pecking and related social interactions. The term has since been used metaphorically to describe social rankings in human groups as well.

Pecked is also used in archaeology and stoneworking to describe surfaces shaped by repeated blows with a hammer or similar instrument, leaving characteristic peck marks. In everyday language, pecked can describe typing by tapping at a keyboard or other surface in a “hunt-and-peck” fashion. In measurement contexts, peck is a unit of dry volume equal to two gallons; objects or quantities described as pecked have been measured in pecks.

Originating from Old English and related Germanic roots, the word’s core idea centers on a brief, small action performed with beak, tool, or surface. The various senses share this common thread, extending from natural behavior to technical and figurative usage.