Adjacent Words

Beaver definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BE'AVER, n. [L.fiber.]
1. An amphibious quadruped, of the genus Castor. It has short ears, a blunt nose, small fore feet, large hind feet, with a flat ovate tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in construction its lodges or habitations, and from this animal is obtained the castor of the shops, which is taken from cods or bags in the groin. Its fur, which is mostly of a chestnut brown, is the material of the best hats.
2. The fur of the beaver, and a hat made of the fur; also, a part of a helmet that covers the face.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the soft brown fur of the beaver [syn: beaver, beaver fur]
2: a native or resident of Oregon [syn: Oregonian, Beaver]
3: a full beard
4: a man's hat with a tall crown; usually covered with silk or with beaver fur [syn: dress hat, high hat, opera hat, silk hat, stovepipe, top hat, topper, beaver]
5: a movable piece of armor on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower face
6: a hat made with the fur of a beaver (or similar material) [syn: beaver, castor]
7: large semiaquatic rodent with webbed hind feet and a broad flat tail; construct complex dams and underwater lodges v
1: work hard on something [syn: beaver, beaver away]

Merriam Webster's

geographical name 1. river 280 miles (451 kilometers) NW Oklahoma forming upper course of the North Canadian 2. river 305 miles (491 kilometers) Canada in Alberta & Saskatchewan flowing E into the Churchill

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural beavers) Etymology: Middle English bever, from Old English beofor; akin to Old High German bibar beaver, and probably to Old English br?n brown — more at brown Date: before 12th century 1. or plural beaver a. either of two large semiaquatic herbivorous rodents comprising a family (Castoridae including Castor canadensis of North America and C. fiber of Eurasia), having webbed hind feet and a broad flat scaly tail, and constructing dams and partially submerged lodges b. the fur or pelt of the beaver 2. a. a hat made of beaver fur or a fabric imitation b. silk hat 3. a heavy fabric of felted wool or of cotton napped on both sides 4. usually vulgar the pudenda of a woman II. noun Etymology: Middle English baviere, from Middle French Date: 15th century 1. a piece of armor protecting the lower part of the face 2. a helmet visor III. intransitive verb Date: 1946 to work energetically <beavering away at the problem>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. (pl. same or beavers) 1 a any large amphibious broad-tailed rodent of the genus Castor, native to N. America, Europe, and Asia, and able to cut down trees and build dams. b its soft light-brown fur. c a hat of this. 2 (in full beaver cloth) a heavy woollen cloth like beaver fur. 3 (Beaver) a boy aged six or seven who is an affiliate member of the Scout Association. --v.intr. colloq. (usu. foll. by away) work hard. Phrases and idioms: beaver lamb lamb's wool made to look like beaver fur. eager beaver colloq. an over-zealous person. Etymology: OE be(o)for f. Gmc 2. n. hist. the lower face-guard of a helmet. Etymology: OF baviere bib f. baver slaver f. beve saliva f. Rmc 3. n. sl. a bearded man. Etymology: 20th c.: orig. uncert.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Beaver Bea"ver, n. [OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavi[`e]re, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavi[`e]re, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child.] That piece of armor which protected the lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise) that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Beaver Bea"ver, n. [OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. b["a]fver, Dan. b[ae]ver, Lith. bebru, Russ. bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named from its color. ?253. See Brown.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor. Note: It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis. 2. The fur of the beaver. 3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk. A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. --Prescott. 4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats. Beaver rat (Zo["o]l.), an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania (Hydromys chrysogaster). Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver. Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(beavers, beavering, beavered) 1. A beaver is a furry animal with a big flat tail and large teeth. Beavers use their teeth to cut wood and build dams in rivers. N-COUNT 2. Beaver is the fur of a beaver. ...a coat with a huge beaver collar.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Fur of the beaver. 2. Hat. 3. Face-guard (of a helmet), bever, bevor, beevor.

Moby Thesaurus

Vandyke, activist, ball of fire, beard, big-time operator, bristles, bustler, busy bee, doer, down, eager beaver, enthusiast, go-getter, goatee, human dynamo, hustler, imperial, live wire, man of action, man of deeds, militant, new broom, operator, peach fuzz, political activist, powerhouse, side whiskers, stubble, take-charge guy, tuft, wheeler-dealer, whiskers, winner