bever

See also: Bever

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːvə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) enPR: bēʹvər, IPA^(key): /ˈbiːvɚ/
• Rhymes: -iːvə(ɹ)
• Homophones: beaver, Belvoir, bevor

Etymology 1

From Middle English biveren, beveren (“to tremble”), frequentative form of Old English beofian, bifian (“to tremble, be moved, shake, quake”), from Proto-Germanic *bibāną (“to quake, shiver”). Cognate with West Frisian bibberje (“to shiver”), Dutch bibberen (“to shiver, quiver”), Low German beveren (“to shiver”), German Low German bevern (“to tremble”), German bibbern (“to shiver”). related also to Dutch beven (“to quake”), German beben (“to quake, tremble”), Swedish bäva (“to quake, tremble”), Icelandic bifa (“to budge, be moved”), Latin foedus (“disgusting, shocking, abominable, heinous”).

Pronunciation

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ(ː)vəɹ/
• (Scotland) Rhymes: -ɛvəɹ

Verb

bever (third-person singular simple present bevers, present participle bevering, simple past and past participle bevered)

1. (intransitive) To tremble; shake; quiver; shiver.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur, page 25:

     Wherefore King Ban and King Bors made them ready, and dressed their shields and harness, and they were so courageous that many knights shook and bevered for eagerness.

Derived terms

• bevering

References

• The Dictionary of the Scots Language

Etymology 2

Noun

bever (plural bevers)

1. Alternative spelling of bevor
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene:

     And, passing forward with furious affret, / Pierst through his bever and quite into his brow.

   • 1635, L. I. [pseudonym; John Lechmere], “The Third Argument was about the Killing Letter; out of Origen, […]”, in The Relection of a Conference Tovching the Reall Presence. Or A Bachelovrs Censvre of a Masters Apologie for Doctour Featlie, Douai: Lavrence Kellam, →OCLC, page 333:

     He who lookes you in the face, ſaith he ſees you, though the reſt of your bodie be within your cloathes, and if you, being an ὁωλομάχος a cataphract in your proteſtantiſh πανοπλία [panoplía, suit of armour] should for fear pull downe your beuer before you come into the liſt, your Aduerſarie for all that might light vpon your (  ) vnleſſe you bring with you Giges his ring, ſo to make your ſelf inuiſible; [...]

   • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 8:

     Some close helmets have a farther improvement called a bever, the bever when closed covers the mouth and chin, and either lifts up by revolving on the same pivots as the visor, or lets down by means of two or more pivots on each side near the jaws, in which case the bever consists of several laminæ or plates, one shutting over the other.

Etymology 3

From Middle English bever, from Anglo-Norman bever (modern French boire), from Latin bibō.

Noun

bever (countable and uncountable, plural bevers)

1. A drink.
   • 1625, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, “The Elder Brother. A Comedy.”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Bid my subsiser carry my hackney to the buttery, and give him his bever; it is a civil and sober beast, and will drink moderately.

2. (now rare, archaic) A snack or light refreshment between meals.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 2, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     It seemeth that wee daily shorten the use of this, and that in our houses (as I have seene in mine infancie) breakfasts, nunchions, and beavers [translating collations] should be more frequent and often used than now adayes they are.

   • 1604, Christopher Marlowe, Dr. Faustus:

     Thirty meals a day and ten bevers.

   • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers:

     Very softly I boiled water, made a sandwich from the remains of the luncheon roast chicken, scalded the Twining creature. Then I softly carried my bever to the study on a tray […].

3. A time for drinking.
4. A mixture of cider and water.

Related terms

• beverage

Verb

bever (third-person singular simple present bevers, present participle bevering, simple past and past participle bevered)

1. (obsolete) To take a light repast between meals.

Etymology 4

Noun

bever (plural bevers)

1. Obsolete form of beaver.

Anagrams

• breve

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch bēver, from Old Dutch *bevar, from Proto-Germanic *bebruz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeː.vər/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: be‧ver
• Rhymes: -eːvər

Noun

bever m (plural bevers, diminutive bevertje n)

1. A beaver, rodent of the genus Castor.

Derived terms

• beverachtig
• beverbont
• beverboom
• beverburcht
• beverdam
• bevergeil
• beverhaar
• beverhoed
• beverhuid
• beverkever
• bevermuts
• beverpels
• beverrat
• beverskul
• beverstaart
• bevervacht

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: bewer

Anagrams

• breve

Hungarian

Etymology

be- +‎ ver

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛvɛr]
• Hyphenation: be‧ver
• Rhymes: -ɛr

Verb

bever

1. (transitive, of one's head) to knock (into something -ba/-be)

   A kisfiú véletlenül beverte a fejét az asztalba. ― The little boy accidentally knocked his head into the table.

2. (transitive, of nails) to drive in (-ba/-be)

   Beverte a szögeket a falba. ― S/he drove the nails into the wall.

Conjugation

conjugation of bever

			1st person sg	2nd person sg informal	3rd person sg, 2nd p. sg formal	1st person pl	2nd person pl informal	3rd person pl, 2nd p. pl formal
Indica­tive mood	Pre­sent	Indef.	beverek	beversz	bever	beverünk	bevertek	bevernek
		Def.	beverem	bevered	beveri	beverjük	beveritek	beverik
		2nd-p. o.	beverlek	―
	Past	Indef.	bevertem	bevertél	bevert	bevertünk	bevertetek	bevertek
		Def.	bevertem	beverted	beverte	bevertük	bevertétek	beverték
		2nd-p. o.	bevertelek	―
Condi­tional mood	Pre­sent	Indef.	bevernék	bevernél	beverne	bevernénk	bevernétek	bevernének
		Def.	beverném	bevernéd	beverné	bevernénk (or bevernők)	bevernétek	bevernék
		2nd-p. o.	bevernélek	―
Sub­junc­tive mood	Pre­sent	Indef.	beverjek	beverj or beverjél	beverjen	beverjünk	beverjetek	beverjenek
		Def.	beverjem	beverd or beverjed	beverje	beverjük	beverjétek	beverjék
		2nd-p. o.	beverjelek	―
Infinitive	beverni		bevernem	beverned	bevernie	bevernünk	bevernetek	beverniük
Other nonfinite verb forms			Verbal noun	Present participle	Past participle	Future part.	Adverbial part.	Potential
			beverés	beverő	bevert	beverendő	beverve	beverhet

Derived terms

• beverés

 

Further reading

• bever in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• bever in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2023)

Ladino

Etymology

From Latin bibō, bibere.

Verb

bever (Latin spelling)

1. to drink

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *bevar, from Proto-Germanic *bebruz.

Noun

bēver m

1. beaver

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: bever
  • Afrikaans: bewer
• Limburgish: baever

Further reading

• “bever”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “bever”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English befer, from Proto-West Germanic *bebru, from Proto-Germanic *bebruz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰébʰrus.

Alternative forms

• beauver, beever, befer, beofer, beuver, bevere, bevre, bevyr, bevyre, bewer, byvre

Pronunciation

• (Early ME) IPA^(key): /ˈbøːvər/
• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛːvər/

Noun

bever (plural bevers)

2. A beaver (rodent of the genus Castor).
3. Beaver fur, skin, or pelt, or a similar cloth.

Descendants

• English: beaver
• Scots: bever, baiver
• → Irish: béabhar

References

• “bēver, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-04-23.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman bever (modern French boire), from Latin bibō.

Alternative forms

• bevere

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛːvər/

Noun

bever (plural bevers)

2. (rare, Late Middle English) beverage

Related terms

• beverage

Descendants

• English: bever

References

• “bēver, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-04-23.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German bever (compare with Dutch bever, German Biber and English beaver). The word replaced Old Norse bjórr (compare with Norwegian Nynorsk bjor).

Noun

bever m (definite singular beveren, indefinite plural bevere or bevre or bevrer, definite plural beverne or bevrene)

1. a beaver (aquatic mammal)

   En bever kan veie opptil 40 kg.

   A beaver can weigh up to 40 kg.

2. a beaver's fur

   Kåpen er av bever.

   The coat is made of beaver fur.

3. a 6- to 8-year-old member of the Scouts

References

• “bever” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “bever” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• Article in Store norske leksikon ("great Norwegian encyclopedia") on beavers.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German bever (compare Dutch bever, German German Biber and English beaver). The word replaced Old Norse bjórr (compare Norwegian Nynorsk bjor).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeːʋɛr/

Noun

bever m (definite singular beveren, indefinite plural beverar, definite plural beverane)

1. beaver (aquatic mammal), a roden of the genus Castor, specifically the European beaver, Castor fiber

   Ein bever kan vege opptil 40 kg.

   A beaver can weigh up to 40 kg.

2. a beaver's fur

   Kåpa er av bever.

   The coat is made of beaver fur.

3. a 6- to 8-year-old member of the Scouts

Synonyms

• bjor

References

• “bever” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “bever” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• Article in Store norske leksikon ("great Norwegian encyclopedia") on beavers.

Occitan

Verb

bever

1. Alternative form of beure

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Old French

Etymology 1

see beivre

Verb

bever

1. Alternative form of beivre

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has irregularities in its conjugation. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of bever (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		bever			aveir beü
gerund		en bevant			Use the gerund of aveir followed by the past participle
present participle		bevant
past participle		beü
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	bef	bes	bet	bevons	bevez	bevent
	imperfect	beveie	beveies	beveit	beviiens, beviens	beviiez, beviez	beveient
	preterite	bevi	bevis	bevi	bevimes	bevistes	bevirent
	future	bevrai	bevras	bevra	bevrons	bevreiz, bevrez	bevront
	conditional	bevreie	bevreies	bevreit	bevriiens, bevriens	bevriiez, bevriez	bevreient
compound tenses	present perfect	Use the present tense of aveir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect tense of aveir followed by the past participle
	past anterior	Use the preterite tense of aveir followed by the past participle
	future perfect	Use the future tense of aveir followed by the past participle
	conditional perfect	Use the conditional tense of aveir followed by the past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	beve	beves	beve	bevons	bevez	bevent
	imperfect	bevisse	bevisses	bevist	bevissons, bevissiens	bevisseiz, bevissez, bevissiez	bevissent
compound tenses	past	Use the present subjunctive of aveir followed by the past participle
	pluperfect	Use the imperfect subjunctive of aveir followed by the past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	bef	—	bevons	bevez	—

Etymology 2

Of Germanic origin, from Frankish *bebru. More at English beaver.

Noun

bever oblique singular, m (oblique plural bevers, nominative singular bevers, nominative plural bever)

1. beaver (mammal)

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited from Latin bibere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /be.ˈβeɾ/

Verb

bever

1. to drink

Conjugation

    Conjugation of bever or beber (regular)

Note: Although not all of these verbal inflections have been attested, they are all predictable according to the Old Galician-Portuguese conjugation system.
infinitive			bever beber
gerund			bevendo bebendo
past participle				singular		plural
		masculine		bevudo bebudo bevido bebido		bevudos bebudos bevidos bebidos
		feminine		bevuda bebuda bevida bebida		bevudas bebudas bevidas bebidas
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		eu	tu	el~ele ela vossa mercee	nós nós outros nós outras	vós vós outros vós outras	eles elas
	present	bevo bebo	beves bebes	beve bebe	bevemos bebemos	bevedes bebedes	beven beben
	imperfect	bevia bebia	bevias bebias	bevia bebia	beviamos bebiamos	beviades bebiades	savian bebian
	preterite	bevi bebi	beveste bebeste	beveu bebeu	bevemos bebemos	bevestes bebestes	beveron beberon
	pluperfect	bevera bebera	beveras beberas	bevera bebera	beveramos beberamos	beverades beberades	beveran beberan
	future	beverei beberei	beverás beberás	beverá beberá	beveremos beberemos	beveredes beberedes	beverán beberán
	conditional	beveria beberia	beverias beberias	beveria beberia	beveriamos beberiamos	beveriades beberiades	beverian beberian
subjunctive		eu	tu	el~ele ela vossa mercee	nós nós outros nós outras	vós vós outros vós outras	eles elas
	present	beva beba	bevas bebas	beva beba	bevamos bebamos	bevades bebades	bevan beban
	preterite	bevesse bebesse	bevesses bebesses	bevesse bebesse	bevêssemos bebêssemos	bevêssedes bebêssedes	bevessen bebessen
	future	bever beber	beveres beberes	bever beber	bevermos bebermos	beverdes beberdes	beveren beberen
imperative		—	tu	vossa mercee	nós nós outros nós outras	vós vós outros vós outras	—
	affirmative	—	beve bebe *bevi *bebi	beva beba	bevamos bebamos	bevede bebede	—
	negative	—	bevas bebas	beva beba	bevamos bebamos	bevades bebades	—
personal infinitive		eu	tu	el~ele ela vossa mercee	nós nós outros nós outras	vós vós outros vós outras	eles elas
		bever beber	beveres beberes	bever beber	bevermos bebermos	beverdes beberdes	beveren beberen

Descendants

• Galician: beber
• Portuguese: beber
  • Kabuverdianu: bebe
    • Papiamentu: bebe, bebi
  • Papiamentu: bebe, bebi

Romansch

Alternative forms

• baiver (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader)
• beiber (Sursilvan)
• beber (Sutsilvan)

Etymology

From Latin bibō, bibere.

Verb

bever

1. (Sutsilvan, Surmiran) to drink