A pelican crossing is a place where people who are walking can cross a busy road. They press a button at the side of the road, which operates traffic lights to stop the traffic.
[British]
pelican crossing in British English
noun
a type of road crossing marked by black-and-white stripes or by two rows of metal studs and consisting of a pedestrian-operated traffic-light system
Word origin
C20: from pe(destrian) li(ght) con(trolled) crossing, with -con adapted to -can of pelican
Examples of 'pelican crossing' in a sentence
pelican crossing
Crossing back over the pelican crossing, I read the letters page as I walked up Malone Avenue.
David Cavanagh MUSIC FOR BOYS (2003)
In other languages
pelican crossing
British English: pelican crossing /ˈpɛlɪkən ˈkrɒsɪŋ/ NOUN
A pelican crossing is a place where pedestrians can cross a busy road. They press a button at the side of the road, which operates traffic lights to stop the traffic.
American English: crosswalk crosswalk
Arabic: عُبُورُ الْـمُشاةِ
Brazilian Portuguese: passagem de pedestres
Chinese: 灯控人行横道
Croatian: pješački prijelaz sa semaforom
Czech: přechod pro chodce s tlačítkem
Danish: fodgængerovergang
Dutch: oversteekplaats
European Spanish: paso de peatones señalizado
Finnish: liikennevalo-ohjattu suojatie
French: passage piéton
German: Ampelübergang
Greek: ειδική διάβαση για πεζούς
Italian: passaggio pedonale con semaforo
Japanese: 押しボタン信号式横断歩道
Korean: 보행자가 신호등을 조작하는 횡단보도
Norwegian: fotgjengerovergang
Polish: przejście dla pieszych
European Portuguese: passagem para peões
Romanian: trecere pentru pietoni semaforizată
Russian: пешеходный переход типа «пеликан» со светофором, управляемым пешеходами
Latin American Spanish: paso de peatones señalizado