beaver

bea·ver¹

B0143700 (bē′vər)n.1. a. Either of two large semiaquatic rodents, Castor canadensis of North America or C. fiber of Eurasia, having thick brown fur, webbed hind feet, a broad flat tail, and sharp incisors used for gnawing bark and felling trees, with which they construct dams and underwater lodges.b. The fur of a beaver.c. A top hat originally made of the underfur of a beaver.2. A napped wool fabric, similar to felt, used for outer garments.3. a. Vulgar Slang The female genitals.b. Offensive Slang A woman or girl.adj.1. Of or relating to a beaver or beavers: beaver fur; a beaver hat.2. Constructed by beavers: beaver dams.intr.v. bea·vered, bea·ver·ing, bea·vers To work diligently and energetically.

[Middle English bever, from Old English beofor; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]

bea·ver²

or be·vor B0143700 (bē′vər)n.1. A piece of armor attached to a helmet or breastplate to protect the throat or lower face.2. The visor on a helmet.

[Middle English bavier, from Old French baviere, child's bib, beaver, from bave, saliva.]

beaver

(ˈbiːvə) n1. (Animals) a large amphibious rodent, Castor fiber, of Europe, Asia, and North America: family Castoridae. It has soft brown fur, a broad flat hairless tail, and webbed hind feet, and constructs complex dams and houses (lodges) in rivers2. (Textiles) the fur of this animal3. (Animals) mountain beaver a burrowing rodent, Aplodontia rufa, of W North America: family Aplodontidae4. (Clothing & Fashion) a tall hat of beaver fur or a fabric resembling it, worn, esp by men, during the 19th century5. (Textiles) a woollen napped cloth resembling beaver fur, formerly much used for overcoats, etc6. (Colours) a greyish- or yellowish-brown colour7. obsolete a full beard8. a bearded man9. (modifier) having the colour of beaver or made of beaver fur or some similar material: a beaver lamb coat; a beaver stole. vb (usually foll by: away) to work industriously or steadily[Old English beofor; compare Old Norse biōrr, Old High German bibar, Latin fiber, Sanskrit babhrú red-brown]

beaver

(ˈbiːvə) n (Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) a movable piece on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower part of the face[C15: from Old French baviere, from baver to dribble]

Beaver

(ˈbiːvə) na member of a Beaver Colony, the youngest group of boys (aged 6–8 years) in the Scout Association

bea•ver¹

(ˈbi vər)

n., pl. -vers, (esp. collectively) -ver for 1. 1. a large amphibious rodent of the genus Castor, having sharp incisors, webbed hind feet, and a flattened tail, noted for its ability to dam streams with trees, branches, etc. 2. the fur of this animal. 3. a hat made of beaver fur or an imitation of it. 4. top hat. 5. Informal. an exceptionally active or hardworking person. 6. a. a thickly napped cotton cloth used chiefly for work clothes. b. (formerly) a thickly napped woolen cloth made to resemble beaver fur. [before 1000; Middle English bever, Old English be(o)for, c. Old High German bibar, Old Norse bjōrr, Lithuanian bebrùs, Latin fiber]

bea•ver²

(ˈbi vər)

n. 1. plate armor covering the lower part of the face and the throat. 2. a visor for a helmet. [1400–50; alter. of late Middle English bavier, bavour < Middle French baviere (Old French: bib)]

bea·ver

(bē′vər) A large aquatic rodent having thick brown fur, webbed hind feet, and a broad flat tail. Beavers feed on bark and twigs. They have sharp front teeth adapted for gnawing and cutting down trees, which they use in constructing dams and lodges with underwater exits.

beaver

Past participle: beavered
Gerund: beavering

Imperative
beaver
beaver

Present
I beaver
you beaver
he/she/it beavers
we beaver
you beaver
they beaver

Preterite
I beavered
you beavered
he/she/it beavered
we beavered
you beavered
they beavered

Present Continuous
I am beavering
you are beavering
he/she/it is beavering
we are beavering
you are beavering
they are beavering

Present Perfect
I have beavered
you have beavered
he/she/it has beavered
we have beavered
you have beavered
they have beavered

Past Continuous
I was beavering
you were beavering
he/she/it was beavering
we were beavering
you were beavering
they were beavering

Past Perfect
I had beavered
you had beavered
he/she/it had beavered
we had beavered
you had beavered
they had beavered

Future
I will beaver
you will beaver
he/she/it will beaver
we will beaver
you will beaver
they will beaver

Future Perfect
I will have beavered
you will have beavered
he/she/it will have beavered
we will have beavered
you will have beavered
they will have beavered

Future Continuous
I will be beavering
you will be beavering
he/she/it will be beavering
we will be beavering
you will be beavering
they will be beavering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been beavering
you have been beavering
he/she/it has been beavering
we have been beavering
you have been beavering
they have been beavering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been beavering
you will have been beavering
he/she/it will have been beavering
we will have been beavering
you will have been beavering
they will have been beavering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been beavering
you had been beavering
he/she/it had been beavering
we had been beavering
you had been beavering
they had been beavering

Conditional
I would beaver
you would beaver
he/she/it would beaver
we would beaver
you would beaver
they would beaver

Past Conditional
I would have beavered
you would have beavered
he/she/it would have beavered
we would have beavered
you would have beavered
they would have beavered

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	beaver - the soft brown fur of the beaver beaver furfur, pelt - the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
	2.	Beaver - a native or resident of Oregon OregonianAmerican - a native or inhabitant of the United States
	3.	beaver - a full beard beard, face fungus, whiskers - the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
	4.	beaver - a man's hat with a tall crown; usually covered with silk or with beaver furdress hat, opera hat, silk hat, top hat, stovepipe, high hat, topperchapeau, hat, lid - headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brimman's clothing - clothing that is designed for men to wear
	5.	beaver - a movable piece of armor on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower facearmor plate, armor plating, armour plate, plate armor, plate armour - specially hardened steel plate used to protect fortifications or vehicles from enemy firehelmet - a protective headgear made of hard material to resist blows
	6.	beaver - a hat made with the fur of a beaver (or similar material)castorfur hat - a hat made of fur
	7.	beaver - large semiaquatic rodent with webbed hind feet and a broad flat tail; construct complex dams and underwater lodgesgnawer, rodent - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawinggenus Castor, Castor - type genus of the Castoridae: beaversCastor fiber, Old World beaver - a European variety of beaverCastor canadensis, New World beaver - a variety of beaver found in almost all areas of North America except Florida
Verb	1.	beaver - work hard on something beaver awaywork - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"

beaver

verbbeaver away work, sweat, slave, persist, graft (informal), toil, slog (away), persevere, plug away (informal), drudge, hammer away, peg away, exert yourself, break your back, keep your nose to the grindstone They are beavering away to get everything ready for us.Related words
habitation lodge

Translations

海狸狸毛皮河狸

beaver

(ˈbiːvə) noun1. an animal with strong front teeth, noted for its skill in damming streams. 河狸，海狸 2. its fur. 狸毛皮

beaver

→ 海狸zhCN

beaver

beaver,

either of two large aquatic rodentsrodent,
member of the mammalian order Rodentia, characterized by front teeth adapted for gnawing and cheek teeth adapted for chewing. The Rodentia is by far the largest mammalian order; nearly half of all mammal species are rodents.
..... Click the link for more information. , Castor fiber and Castor canadensis, known for their engineering feats. They were once widespread in N and central Eurasia except E Siberia, and in North America from the arctic tree line to the S United States. The mountain beavermountain beaver,
stout, short-limbed North American rodent, Aplodontia rufa, not closely related to the true beaver. Also called sewellel beaver after the Chinook word for a robe made from its pelts, it is among the most primitive of the rodents and the only living member
..... Click the link for more information. of W North America is not a true beaver, but a nonaquatic rodent of a different family.

The beaver is the largest living rodent except the capybaracapybara
, mammal of Central and much of South America. It is the largest living member of the order Rodentia (the rodents) reaching a length of 4 ft (120 cm) and a weight of 75 to 100 lb (34–45 kg).
..... Click the link for more information. , and is distinguished by its extremely broad, horizontally flattened tail. Beavers are 3 to 4 ft (91–120 cm) long, including the tail (12 in./30.5 cm long, 6 in./15.2 cm wide), and about 15 in. (38 cm) high at the shoulder; they usually weigh about 60 lb (27 kg). Their long, dense fur is reddish brown to nearly black; the naked, scaly tail is black. Both sexes have scent glands located in a pouch in the anal region. The musky secretion, castoreum, which may function as a sexual attractant, was once believed to have medicinal properties, and the glands, or castors, were of commercial value. Beavers have been extensively trapped for their pelts, once considered the most valuable of furs, and were exterminated over a large part of their range. Because of their great importance in maintaining the natural environment, they have been reintroduced in many areas of North America and Russia and are now increasing in numbers. Beavers were also introduced, for the fur trade, into Tierra del Fuego, where they have become an invasive pest and caused significant ecological damage.

Beavers build lodges up to 3 ft (91 cm) high and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide of sticks and mud; the entrances are below water level, with ramps leading to the living quarters, located on a platform above water level. They may also build burrows in banks with underwater entrances. They create deep ponds, or maintain the water level in old ones, by building dams across streams. These are made of sticks and logs, and the upper surfaces are reinforced with stones and mud. Materials are gathered by collecting wood and felling small trees by gnawing; often the beavers dig canals for floating these to the right spot. Most, if not all, of these activities are done mechanically, as a result of instinct; captive animals persist in building useless dams, and even in the wild beavers will attempt to reinforce solid, manmade dams with sticks.

Although they form monogamous families and live in colonies, there is little social contact among beavers and they work independently. A colony consists of a cluster of lodges, each occupied by a family of the parents and their last two litters. The beavers sleep by day and spend the night foraging for food and building or repairing their structures. They feed on a variety of aquatic and shore plants, surviving in winter largely on bark. Sticks for winter food are stored in the lodges and underwater. Excellent swimmers, they can stay underwater for up to fifteen minutes. When alarmed, a beaver slaps the water with its tail, making a loud noise that sends other beavers hurrying to the safety of deep water. Females give birth to two to eight young in the spring; these mature in two years. Beavers are responsible for creating many of the woodland ponds that support lush vegetation and eventually become meadows.

Classification

Beavers are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Castoridae.

Bibliography

See L. Wilsson, My Beaver Colony (tr. 1968), Grey Owl, Pilgrims of the Wild (1935, repr. 1971), B. Goldfarb, Eager (2018).

Beaver

(Castor fiber), a mammal of the order of rodents. The beaver is well adapted to a semiaquatic way of life. Its body measures as much as 100 cm in length, its tail 30 cm in length, and its weight 30 kg. The tail, thickened from the top down, is up to 15 cm wide and almost hairless, but covered with large horny scutes. The toes on the hind legs are joined by a wide swimming membrane. The beaver has a valuable pelt, consisting of shiny coarse awn hairs and a very thick silky undercoat. The color ranges from light chestnut to dark brown or sometimes black (melanism).

In prehistoric times beavers were distributed throughout most of Europe, southern Siberia, and parts of Middle Asia, as well as through almost all of North America. (The American beaver is apparently a special type of C. canadensis.) As a result of rapacious trapping, only defined settlements of beavers are preserved in Europe and Asia; in North America beavers are quite numerous. Until 1917 there were only a few hundred beavers in the USSR. Because of preservation and reclamation the population of beavers in the USSR grows every year and had reached 50,000 by the 1960’s. Beavers are encountered in most of the oblasts of the European part of the USSR and in some raions of Siberia. (There the range of beavers is increasing slowly.) Beavers live along quiet forest rivers with banks overgrown by willows, pines, birch, poplars, and other trees, the sprouts and bark of which the beavers feed on most of the year. In the summer they eat grass. They are able to cut down thick trees. They live in earthen dens and in “lodges”—heaps of twigs, silt, and earth (up to 2.5 m high and 12 m at the base), with several internal chambers and underwater entrances. On small rivers they build dams and cut canals to float the branches and stumps of the trees they fell. They are monogamous and have a gestation period of 105–107 days. The young (three or four to a litter) are born half-blind and well covered. They can swim after a day or two. Beavers live up to 35 years (in captivity). They are valued for their beautiful, warm, and very durable fur. In the USA there is severely limited hunting of the animals. In the USSR beaver preserves have been created (the Voronezh, Byelorussian, and Kondo-Sos’vin preserves). Because of the growth of the population in the USSR, severely limited trapping of beavers for their pelts was begun in places in the 1960’s.

REFERENCES

Ognev, S. I. Zveri SSSR i prilezhashchikh stran, vol. 5. Moscow, 1947.
Kolosov, A. M., and N. P. Lavrov. Obogashchenie promyslovoi fauny SSSR. Moscow, 1968.

V. G. GEPTNER

What does it mean when you dream about a beaver?

Beavers have many different symbolic possibilities. In particular, our culture tends to associate beavers with industriousness, as in the expression “busy as a beaver.” In slang usage, this animal also has sexual connotations. Finally, beavers build dams which, because emotions are often symbolized by water, can indicate building emotional barriers.

beaver

[′bē·vər] (vertebrate zoology) The common name for two different and unrelated species of rodents, the mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) and the true or common beaver (Castor canadensis).

beaver

perpetually and eagerly active. [Western Folklore: Jobes, 192]See: Industriousness

Beaver

mischievous ten-year-old beset by trivial troubles. [TV: “Leave It to Beaver” in Terrace, II, 18–19]See: Mischievousness

beaver

1. a large amphibious rodent, Castor fiber, of Europe, Asia, and North America: family Castoridae. It has soft brown fur, a broad flat hairless tail, and webbed hind feet, and constructs complex dams and houses (lodges) in rivers 2. the fur of this animal 3. mountain beaver a burrowing rodent, Aplodontia rufa, of W North America: family Aplodontidae 4. a woollen napped cloth resembling beaver fur, formerly much used for overcoats, etc 5. a greyish- or yellowish-brown

Beaver

(dreams)Beavers are very busy animals. They gnaw all day and build their homes. They are generally not considered to be friendly animals. All of their hard work is focused on isolating and protecting themselves. When dreaming about these animals, consider those characteristics and try to see how they are relevant to you or someone in your life. Is there isolation and “blocking” up of feelings and self-expression going on around you? Or is something “gnawing” at you that you can no longer ignore? If you can answer these questions, you will have a better understanding of your dream.

beaver

bea·ver 1

bea·ver 2

beaver

beaver

Beaver

bea•ver1

bea•ver2

bea·ver

beaver

beaver

beaver

beaver

beaver

beaver away

busy beaver

busy little beaver

eager beaver

(as) busy as a beaver (building a new dam)

work like a beaver

beaver-cleaver

*busy as a beaver (building a new dam)

eager beaver

work like a beaver

busy as a beaver

eager beaver

work like a beaver

an eager beaver

work like a beaver

an eager beaver

an eager ˈbeaver

beaver

beaver-cleaver

eager-beaver

busy as a beaver/bee

eager beaver

beaver

beaver,

Classification

Bibliography

Beaver

REFERENCES

What does it mean when you dream about a beaver?

beaver

beaver

Beaver

beaver

Beaver

beaver

Synonyms for beaver

phrase beaver away

Synonyms

Synonyms for beaver

noun the soft brown fur of the beaver

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a native or resident of Oregon

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a full beard

Related Words

noun a man's hat with a tall crown

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a movable piece of armor on a medieval helmet used to protect the lower face

Related Words

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

Synonyms

Related Words

noun large semiaquatic rodent with webbed hind feet and a broad flat tail

Related Words

verb work hard on something

Synonyms

Related Words

bea·ver¹

bea·ver²

bea•ver¹

bea•ver²