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beaver
1[ bee-ver ]
/ Ëbi vÉr /
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noun, plural bea·vers, (especially collectively) bea·ver for 1.
verb (used without object)
British. to work very hard or industriously at something (usually followed by away).
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Origin of beaver
1First recorded before 1000; Middle English bever, Old English beofor, befor; cognate with German Biber, akin to Lithuanian bebrĂčs, Russian bobr, Latin fiber, Sanskrit babhrĂșs âreddish brown,â also an animal resembling a mongoose
usage note for beaver
Beaver as a term for a woman is perceived as insulting because it refers to the female in sexual terms. However, in the 1970s, it was CB radio slang, neutral in connotation and even used by women themselves as a term of self-reference.
OTHER WORDS FROM beaver
bea·ver·like, bea·ver·ish, adjectiveWords nearby beaver
Beauvais, Beauvoir, beaux, Beaux-Arts, beaux-esprits, beaver, beaverboard, Beaverbrook, beaver cloth, Beavercreek, Beaver Dam
Other definitions for beaver (2 of 2)
beaver2
[ bee-ver ]
/ Ëbi vÉr /
noun Armor.
a piece of plate armor for covering the lower part of the face and throat, worn especially with an open helmet, as a sallet or basinet.Compare buffe, wrapper (def. 7).
a piece of plate armor, pivoted at the sides, forming part of a close helmet below the visor or ventail.
Origin of beaver
2First recorded in 1400â50; late Middle English bavier, bavour, beaver, from Middle French baviere (Old French: âchild's bibâ), equivalent to bave âspit, dribbleâ + -iere, from Latin -Äria, feminine of -Ärius -ary; alteration of vowel in the initial syllable is due to confusion with beaver hat
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use beaver in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for beaver (1 of 3)
beaver1
/ (ËbiËvÉ) /
noun
verb
(intr usually foll by away) to work industriously or steadily
Word Origin for beaver
Old English beofor; compare Old Norse biĆrr, Old High German bibar, Latin fiber, Sanskrit babhrĂș red-brown
British Dictionary definitions for beaver (2 of 3)
beaver2
/ (ËbiËvÉ) /
noun
a movable piece on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower part of the face
Word Origin for beaver
C15: from Old French baviere, from baver to dribble
British Dictionary definitions for beaver (3 of 3)
Beaver
/ (ËbiËvÉ) /
noun
a member of a Beaver Colony, the youngest group of boys (aged 6â8 years) in the Scout Association
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with beaver
beaver
see busy as a beaver; eager beaver; work like a beaver.
The American HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
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