Meanings
plural beakers
- A flat-bottomed, straight-sided, glass vessel, with a lip and often a small spout, used as a laboratory container.
- A mug.
- archaeologyAn ancient bell-shaped ceramic pot with a wide mouth, narrow neck, and flaring body, used by the Beaker people during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age.
- slangAntarcticaA scientist.
[…] at every meal break he shambled into the galley black-fingered and smelling of engine-grease and concrete floors, to contemplate over his meal the beakers at their round tables chatting away, completely oblivious […]
2008, Kim Stanley Robinson, Antarctica, page 52
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latinbacarium“wine vat, vase”
- Ancient Greekβῖκος“earthenware jug, wine jar”
- Late Latinbīcārium“wine vat, jug”
- Proto-West Germanic*bikārī
- Old Saxonbikeri“cup”
- Old Norsebikarr“cup”
- Middle Englishbekyr
- Englishbeaker
From Middle English bekyr, biker, from Old Norse bikarr (“cup”), from Old Saxon bikeri (“cup”), from Proto-West Germanic *bikārī, from Late Latin bīcārium (“wine vat, jug”), of disputed origin. Possibly from Ancient Greek βῖκος (bîkos, “earthenware jug, wine jar”), or from Latin bacarium (“wine vat, vase”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bieker (“mug, cup, beaker”), Dutch beker (“beaker, cup”), German Becher (“beaker, cup, goblet”), Danish bæger (“beaker”), Italian bicchiere (“cup, glass (for drink)”). Doublet of pitcher.
More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Old Saxon
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek δέπας
- δέπας (dépas)drinking vessel without a handle
Bulgarian лабораторна чаша, ча́ша
- лабораторна чаша (laboratorna čaša)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- ча́ша (čáša)drinking vessel without a handle
- стака́н (stakán)drinking vessel without a handle
- кана (kana)mug
Catalan vas de precipitats
- vas de precipitatsflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Chinese Mandarin 燒杯 /烧杯
- 燒杯 /烧杯 (shāobēi)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Danish bægerglas
- bægerglasflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Dutch bekerglas, beker
- bekerglasflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- bekerdrinking vessel without a handle
- bekermug
- mokmug
- tasmug
Finnish dekantterilasi, keitinlasi
- dekantterilasiflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- keitinlasiflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- mukidrinking vessel without a handle
- mukimug
French bécher, gobelet
- bécherflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- gobeletdrinking vessel without a handle
German Becherglas, Becher
- Becherglasflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- Becherdrinking vessel without a handle
- Bechermug
Hebrew גָבִיעַ, ספל
- גָבִיעַ (gavía)drinking vessel without a handle
- ספל (sefel)mug
Hungarian főzőpohár
- főzőpohárflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Indonesian gelas piala
- gelas pialaflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Irish eascra, bíocar
- eascraflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- bíocardrinking vessel without a handle
- mugamug
Italian bicchiere, becher
- bicchiereflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- becherflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Japanese ビーカー
- ビーカー (bīkā)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Korean 비커
- 비커 (bikeo)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Latin obba
- obbadrinking vessel without a handle
Malay bikar
- bikarflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Norwegian beger, krus
- begerdrinking vessel without a handle
- krusdrinking vessel without a handle
Norwegian Bokmål begerglass
- begerglassflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Persian بشر
- بشر (bešer)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Polish zlewka, kubek
- zlewkaflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- kubekdrinking vessel without a handle
- kubekmug
Portuguese béquer, gobelé
- béquerflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- gobeléflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Russian стака́н, мензу́рка
- стака́н (stakán)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- мензу́рка (menzúrka)flat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- стака́н (stakán)drinking vessel without a handle
- пиа́ла (piála)drinking vessel without a handle
- ку́бок (kúbok)drinking vessel without a handle
- ча́ша (čáša)drinking vessel without a handle
- кру́жка (krúžka)mug
Spanish vaso de precipitación, vaso de precipitados
- vaso de precipitaciónflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- vaso de precipitadosflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- matrazflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Swedish bägare, mugg
- bägareflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- muggdrinking vessel without a handle
- muggmug
Tagalog lumbo
- lumboflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
Welsh bicer, mẁg
- bicerflat-bottomed laboratory vessel
- mẁgmug
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with beaker
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
beaker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beaker
“beaker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beaker. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beaker,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beaker.
Source: beaker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.