beaver Meaning, Definition & Usage

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

WordNet

Bea"ver noun
Etymology
OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. bäfver, Dan. bæver, 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.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor. ✍ 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.
Bea"ver noun
Etymology
OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavière, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavière, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child.
Definitions
  1. 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 1913