: 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
Along the way, visitors may spot signs of the sanctuary’s most visible resident, the beaver, from impressive dams to cleverly constructed dens and lodges, as well as birds such as the snow goose, lapland longspur, and chimney swift.—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025 Historically, humans have certainly not benefited beavers.—Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025 Folklore: The thickness of a beaver’s coat, the size of its food caches and the strength of its lodge predict the severity of the coming winter.—Brandi D. Addison, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025 The beaver moon, also a supermoon, will peak Nov. 5, 2025.—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 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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