beaker

American  

[bee-ker] / ˈbi kər /

noun

1. a large drinking cup or glass with a wide mouth.

2. contents of a beaker.

   consuming a beaker of beer at one gulp.

3. a flat-bottomed cylindrical container, usually with a pouring lip, especially one used in a laboratory.

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adjective

1. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Beaker folk.

beaker British  

/ ˈbiːkə /

noun

1. a cup usually having a wide mouth

   a plastic beaker

2. a cylindrical flat-bottomed container used in laboratories, usually made of glass and having a pouring lip

3. the amount a beaker holds

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beaker Scientific  

/ bē′kər /

1. A wide, cylindrical glass container with a pouring lip, used especially in laboratories.

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Etymology

Origin of beaker

First recorded in 1300–50; alteration of Middle English biker, from Old Norse bikarr, from Old Saxon bikeri (compare Old High German bechari, German Becher, Dutch beker ), from unattested Latin bic(c)arium, -ius, of uncertain origin. See pitcher ¹

Example Sentences

Other students recorded the snake’s behavior while Hayes hooked, pinned, grabbed, and eventually extracted venom from the snake, by compelling it to bite a parafilm-covered beaker.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024

They showed that a mixture of molecules would form one of three structures depending on what concentrations of molecules were present in the beaker.

From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024

According to a now-archived blog post by the university, after an hour, "all that remained in the beaker was a pair of brown carnauba wax eyes floating in a purple Phenol soup."

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2023

If you prefer fatty bacon, the beaker can accommodate that.

From Washington Post • Jan. 13, 2023

I grabbed the beaker and collected about three hundred millilitres, a pop can’s worth.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Related Words

• chalice