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beefeater

American  
[beef-ee-ter] / ˈbifˌi tər /

noun

  1. a yeoman of the English royal guard or a warder of the Tower of London.

  2. Informal. an Englishman.

  3. a person who eats beef.


beefeater British  
/ ˈbiːfˌiːtə /

noun

  1. a nickname often applied to the Yeomen of the Guard and the Yeomen Warders at the Tower of London

"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

Etymology

Origin of beefeater

First recorded in 1600–10; beef + eat ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Chief beefeater Peter McGowren says it's the quietest the tower ever has been.

From Fox News May 21, 2020

The tradition of tall tales spun by the yeoman warder, or beefeater, guides is as old as the Line of Kings itself.

From The Guardian Jul. 7, 2013

Then, with a sweep of his arm toward a tower crusted with raven droppings, the "beefeater" remarked: "And there are some of the results of Lend-Lease."

From Time Magazine Archive

As the ruddy little Crispin who becomes Lord Mayor of London, Whitford Kane personifies all the industry, sanity and lustiness of a jolly beefeater.

From Time Magazine Archive

The beefeater before the door of the Lady Mary's lodgings spat upon the ground when he had passed.

From The Fifth Queen And How She Came to Court by Ford, Ford Madox

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