beaver — ozdic

Collocations

5

ADJ.

broad, crushed, eager, many, monogamous, most, other, over

The eager beavers worked through the night to build their dam.

VERB + BEAVER

contained, killed, like, seen, size

We saw a beaver the size of a small dog swimming across the river.

BEAVER + NOUN

alberta, belarus, downright, term

The beaver dam stretched across the entire width of the stream in Alberta.

PREP.

in, out, until, with

She beavered away with her homework until midnight.

ADV.

busily

The children were beavering busily away in the workshop, building birdhouses for their school project.

Definitions

noun

1

A semiaquatic rodent of the genus Castor, having a wide, flat tail and webbed feet, native to the Northern Hemisphere.

Then, for the safeguard of his personage, He did appoint a warlike equipage Of foreign beasts, not in the forest bred, But part by land and part by water fed; For tyranny is with strange aid supported. Then unto him all monstrous beasts resorted Bred of two kinds, as Griffons, Minotaurs, Crocodiles, Dragons, Beavers, and Centaurs: With those himself he strengthened mightily, That fear he need no force of enemy.

2

The fur of the beaver.

3

A hat, of various shapes, made from a felted beaver fur (or later of silk), fashionable in Europe between 1550 and 1850.

a broad beaver slouched over his eyes

The woman's hair and woman's beaver had both been jerked off, exposing the cropped head of a man...

4

Beaver pelts as an article of exchange or as a standard of value.

5

Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woollen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats.

verb

1

To form a felt-like texture, similar to the way beaver fur is used for felt-making.

Without these attentions the woad will not beaver well, a term descriptive of the fineness of the capillary filaments into which it draws out when broken between the finger and thumb.

2

To work hard.

When A. G. Dickens published his English Reformation in 1964 the archival beavering of a generation of graduate students was given its imprimatur in the claim to understand how the English people felt about religious change—largely, according to Dickens, positively.

3

To cut a continuous ring around a tree that one is felling.

4

After being doubled, to immediately double the stakes again, a move that keeps the doubling cube on one’s own side of the board.

5

To spot a beard in a game of beaver.

Beavering of foreign visitors does not count. This is a rule, but it is never carried out.

noun

1

Alternative spelling of bevor (“part of a helmet”).

Lord Stafford’s father, Duke of Buckingham, Is either slain or wounded dangerously; I cleft his beaver with a downright blow:

With trembling hands her beaver he untied, / Which done, he saw, and seeing knew her face.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — a hat made with the fur of a beaver (or similar material)

castor

noun — a man's hat with a tall crown

noun — a native or resident of Oregon

oregonian

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

eager beaver

One (especially a child) who is very excited or enthusiastic to begin a task; a person who is exceedingly assiduous in an enthusiastic manner

PULASKI: I am unfamiliar with this symbol. DATA: It indicates a genetically engineered biological life-form. PULASKI: About twenty percent of the specimens fall into that category.

beaver away

To work hard at a task.

She won't be going out much, as she's beavering away on her thesis.

Example Bank

6

01

Then, for the safeguard of his personage, He did appoint a warlike equipage Of foreign beasts, not in the forest bred, But part by land and part by water fed; For tyranny is with strange aid supported

Wiktionary

02

a broad beaver slouched over his eyes

Wiktionary

03

The woman's hair and woman's beaver had both been jerked off, exposing the cropped head of a man...

Wiktionary

04

Without these attentions the woad will not beaver well, a term descriptive of the fineness of the capillary filaments into which it draws out when broken between the finger and thumb.

Wiktionary

05

When A. G. Dickens published his English Reformation in 1964 the archival beavering of a generation of graduate students was given its imprimatur in the claim to understand how the English people felt

Wiktionary

06

Beavering of foreign visitors does not count. This is a rule, but it is never carried out.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, beaver is marked as slang, dated, US. Watch for register when choosing this word.