beaver

beaver · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰébʰrus“beaver”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*bebruz
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bebru
4. Old English · inherited frombefer
5. Middle English · inherited frombever
6. English todaybeaver

From Middle English bever, from Old English befer, from Proto-West Germanic *bebru, from Proto-Germanic *bebruz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰébʰrus (“beaver”). Cognate with West Frisian bever, Dutch bever, French bièvre, German Biber, dialectal Swedish bjur. Non-Germanic cognates include Welsh befer, Latin fiber, Lithuanian bẽbras, Russian бобр (bobr), Avestan 𐬠𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬭𐬀 (bauura), and Sanskrit बभ्रु (bábhru, “mongoose; ichneumon”). Slang use to refer to a woman evolved from use to refer to pubic hair, which evolved from use to refer to beards, which evolved from use to refer to the furry animal or its fur.

beaver · noun²

See bevor.

Beaver · proper noun, noun³

* As an English surname, capitalization of beaver. This sense is also translated from several Native American names such as Cheyenne homa'e and Creek Echaswvlke of the same meaning. Doublet of Bieber and Bever. * Also as an English surname, from the placename Belvoir in Leicestershire.

Beaver · proper noun⁴

1. French · derived fromcastor“beaver”
2. Canadian French · calque ofCastor
3. English todayBeaver

Calque of Canadian French Castor. From French castor (“beaver”).

Words from the same roots