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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.

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

What bothers Johnson and many another beefeater is that meat prices remain high even though distribution techniques have radically improved.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Only to get in front of that beefeater with a shotgun.

From The Launch Boys' Adventures in Northern Waters by Hughes, Burton Donnel

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