# beaver

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbiːvə/ · frequency rank #12,733

## Definitions
1. A semiaquatic rodent of the genus Castor, having a wide, flat tail and webbed feet, native to the Northern Hemisphere.
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.
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.
6. A brown colour, like that of a beaver.
7. A move in response to being doubled, in which one immediately doubles the stakes again, keeping the doubling cube on one’s own side of the board.
8. Alternative letter-case form of Beaver (“member of the youngest wing of the Scout movement”).
9. A beard or a bearded person.
10. A game, in which points are scored by spotting beards.
11. The pubic hair near a vulva or a vulva itself; (attributively) denoting films or literature featuring nude women.
12. A woman, especially one who is sexually attractive.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **beer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-beer)
- **brave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-brave)
- **bevel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-bevel)
- **better** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-better)
- **behave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-behave)
- **braves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-braves)
- **Becker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-becker)
- **bender** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-bender)
- **blazer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-blazer)
- **braver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-braver)
- **Berber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-berber)
- **braved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-braved)
- **Beavis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-beavis)
- **breaker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-breaker)
- **behaved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-behaved)
- **bravery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beaver-vs-bravery)
- **bear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bear-vs-beaver)
- **baker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/baker-vs-beaver)
- **Bauer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bauer-vs-beaver)
- **Bayer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bayer-vs-beaver)

## Common misspellings (8)
`baever`, `bbeaver`, `beaevr`, `beaverr`, `beavre`, `beavver`, `bevaer`, `ebaver`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/beaver