noun, plural bea·vers, (especially collectively) bea·ver for 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.
- the fur of this animal.
- a flat, round hat made of beaver fur or a similar fabric.
- 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.
- Informal. a full beard or a man wearing one.
- Informal. an exceptionally active or hard-working person.
- Slang: Vulgar.
- a woman’s pubic area.
- Offensive.a term used to refer to a woman.
- Textiles.
- a cotton cloth with a thick nap, used chiefly in the manufacture of work clothes.
- (formerly) a heavy, soft, woolen cloth with a thick nap, made to resemble beaver fur.
- (initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of Oregon, the Beaver State (used as a nickname).
verb (used without object)
- British. to work very hard or industriously at something (usually followed by away).
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.
noun
- 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
- the fur of this animal
- mountain beaver a burrowing rodent, Aplodontia rufa, of W North America: family Aplodontidae
- a tall hat of beaver fur or a fabric resembling it, worn, esp by men, during the 19th century
- a woollen napped cloth resembling beaver fur, formerly much used for overcoats, etc
- a greyish- or yellowish-brown
- obsolete a full beard
- a bearded man
- (modifier) having the colour of beaver or made of beaver fur or some similar materiala beaver lamb coat; a beaver stole
verb
- (intr usually foll by away) to work industriously or steadily
noun
- a movable piece on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower part of the face
noun
- a member of a Beaver Colony, the youngest group of boys (aged 6–8 years) in the Scout Association
Old English beofor, befer (earlier bebr), from Proto-Germanic *bebruz (cf. Old Saxon bibar, Old Norse bjorr, Middle Dutch and Dutch bever, Low German bever, Old High German bibar, German Biber), from PIE *bhebhrus, reduplication of root *bher- (3) “brown, bright” (cf. Lithuanian bebrus, Czech bobr, Welsh befer; see bear (n.) for the likely reason for this). Gynecological sense (“female genitals, especially with a display of pubic hair”) is 1927 British slang, transferred from earlier meaning “a bearded man” (1910), from the appearance of split beaver pelts.
see busy as a beaver; eager beaver; work like a beaver.