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beaver

1
[ bee-ver ]
/ ˈbi vər /
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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).
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of beaver

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bever, Old English beofor, befor; cognate with German Biber, akin to Lithuanian bebrùs, Russian bobr, Latin fiber, Sanskrit babhrús “reddish brown,” 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, adjective

Other definitions for beaver (2 of 2)

beaver2
[ bee-ver ]
/ ˈbi vər /

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

2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bavier, bavour, beaver, from Middle French baviere (Old French: “child's bib”), equivalent to bave “spit, dribble” + -iere, from Latin -āria, feminine of -ārius -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. 2023

How to use beaver in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beaver (1 of 3)

beaver1
/ (ˈbiːvə) /

noun
verb
(intr usually foll by away) to work industriously or steadily

Word Origin for beaver

Old English beofor; compare Old Norse biōrr, Old High German bibar, Latin fiber, Sanskrit babhrú red-brown

British Dictionary definitions for beaver (2 of 3)

beaver2
/ (ˈbiːvə) /

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
/ (ˈbiːvə) /

noun
a member of a Beaver Colony, the youngest group of boys (aged 6–8 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 Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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