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beaver

1

[ bee-ver ]

noun

plural beavers, (especially collectively) 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. Compare opera hat, silk hat, top hat.
  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 by away ).

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. Compare buffe ( def ), wrapper ( def 7 ).
  2. a piece of plate armor, pivoted at the sides, forming part of a close helmet below the visor or ventail.

Beaver

1

/ ˈːə /

noun

  1. 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

beaver

2

/ ˈːə /

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. mountain beaver
    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

“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

verb

  1. intrusually foll byaway to work industriously or steadily
“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

beaver

3

/ ˈːə /

noun

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

  • v· v· adjective
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of beaver1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bever, Old English beofor, befor; cognate with German Biber, akin to Lithuanian ù, Russian bobr, Latin fiber, Sanskrit ú “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 -, feminine of -ary; alteration of vowel in the initial syllable is due to confusion with beaver hat
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of beaver1

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

Origin of beaver2

C15: from Old French baviere , from baver to dribble
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Idioms and Phrases

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

The decision follows years of trials and will see beavers make an officially approved return to waterways.

From

Wild boar, like the lynx - and the local area's legally reintroduced beavers - were once a native species but were hunted to extinction about 700 years ago.

From

One farmer pointed out that reintroduced beavers had caused damage worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

From

That the greatest minds in the conservative legal movement were beavering away for months to make sure that when all of this went into effect on Day 1, or Week 1, it would be bulletproof.

From

A beaver management plan is underway, and $2 million has been allocated to develop statewide coexistence strategies and help relocate beavers from where they cause problems to where they can solve them.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from 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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