beaver

¹

[bee-ver]

noun

plural

beavers ,

plural

beaver .

1. a large, amphibious rodent of the genus Castor, having sharp incisors, webbed hind feet, and a flattened tail, noted for its ability to dam streams with trees, branches, etc.

2. the fur of this animal.

3. a flat, round hat made of beaver fur or a similar fabric.

4. a tall, cylindrical hat for men, formerly made of beaver and now of a fabric simulating this fur.

5. Informal.,  a full beard or a man wearing one.

6. Informal.,  an exceptionally active or hard-working person.

7. Slang: Vulgar.

   1. a woman's pubic area.

   2. Offensive.,  a term used to refer to a woman.

8. Textiles.

   1. a cotton cloth with a thick nap, used chiefly in the manufacture of work clothes.

   2. (formerly) a heavy, soft, woolen cloth with a thick nap, made to resemble beaver fur.

9. none Beaver a native or inhabitant of Oregon, the Beaver State (used as a nickname).

verb (used without object)

1. British.,  to work very hard or industriously at something (usually followed byaway ).

beaver

²

[bee-ver]

noun

Armor.

1. 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.

2. a piece of plate armor, pivoted at the sides, forming part of a close helmet below the visor or ventail.

beaver

¹

/ ˈbiːvə /

noun

1. a large amphibious rodent, Castor fiber , of Europe, Asia, and North America: family Castoridae . It has soft brown fur, a broad flat hairless tail, and webbed hind feet, and constructs complex dams and houses (lodges) in rivers

2. the fur of this animal

3. a burrowing rodent, Aplodontia rufa , of W North America: family Aplodontidae

4. a tall hat of beaver fur or a fabric resembling it, worn, esp by men, during the 19th century

5. a woollen napped cloth resembling beaver fur, formerly much used for overcoats, etc

6. a greyish- or yellowish-brown

7. obsolete,  a full beard

8. a bearded man

9. (modifier) having the colour of beaver or made of beaver fur or some similar material

   a beaver lamb coat

   a beaver stole

verb

1. to work industriously or steadily

Beaver

²

/ ˈbiːvə /

noun

1. a member of a Beaver Colony , the youngest group of boys (aged 6–8 years) in the Scout Association

beaver

³

/ ˈbiːvə /

noun

1. a movable piece on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower part of the face

Sensitive Note

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 Word Forms

• beaverlike adjective
• beaverish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of beaver¹

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

Origin of beaver²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of beaver¹

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

Origin of beaver²

C15: from Old French baviere , from baver to dribble

Idioms and Phrases

see busy as a beaver; eager beaver; work like a beaver.

Example Sentences

But leaders themselves need to learn from those eager beavers.

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A Vermont couple raised an orphaned beaver kit and prepared it to return to the wild.

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John Aberth’s “Bringing up Beaver” is a fascinating—and deeply humbling—account of the lengths to which the author and his wife, Laura Hamilton, went to to accommodate one, then two, young beavers.

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Another innovation: "Green eggs" or devices that listen for beavers, whose digging can be devastating for flood defences.

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Now they were circling above the beaver pond.

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