: 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
Verb
he's been beavering away at the various courses for his dinner party all day long, hoping to impress his new friends
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Noun
The Beaver Moon takes its name from early Native American tribes as well as American colonists, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, when beavers begin sheltering in their lodges after gathering enough food to last the winter.—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Oct. 2025 Just like wolves, bison, pronghorns, prairie dogs, beavers, and monarch butterflies, these bears are on the list of epic species inhabiting North America — which means that any immigration- and tariff-related threats and decisions made by the region’s countries invariably affect them as well.—Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025 Likewise, even in 1825, few beavers were left in the area, which explains why the artists’ many paintings of ponds and streams did not show the animals or any signs of their presence.—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2025 Hummingbirds have long beaks for sucking nectar from flowers, polar bears have thick skin and fur to keep them warm from the Arctic tundra and beavers have big, wide tails to propel them through the water.—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for beaver
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English bever, from Old English beofor; akin to Old High German bibar beaver, and probably to Old English brūn brown — more at brown
Noun (2)
Middle English baviere, from Middle French
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
: a large plant-eating rodent that has webbed hind feet and a broad flat tail and that builds dams and houses of mud and branches which are partly underwater
2
: the fur of a beaver
beaver
2 of 2noun
: a piece of armor protecting the lower part of the face
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