beaver

beaver¹

—beaverlike, beaverish, adj.

/bee"veuhr/, n., pl. beavers, (esp. collectively) beaver for 1; v.

n.

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 flat, round hat made of beaver fur or a similar fabric.

4. a tall, cylindrical hat for men, formerly made of beaver and now of a fabric simulating this fur. Cf. opera hat, silk hat, top hat.

5. Informal. a full beard or a man wearing one.

6. Informal. an exceptionally active or hard-working person.

7. Slang (vulgar).

a. a woman's pubic area.

b. Offensive. a woman.

8. Textiles.

a. a cotton cloth with a thick nap, used chiefly in the manufacture of work clothes.

b. (formerly) a heavy, soft, woolen cloth with a thick nap, made to resemble beaver fur.

9. (cap.) a native or inhabitant of Oregon, the Beaver State (used as a nickname).

v.i.

10. Brit. to work very hard or industriously at something (usually fol. by away).

[bef. 1000; ME bever, OE beofor, befor; c. G Biber, Lith bebrùs, L fiber, Skt babhrús reddish brown, large ichneumon]

beaver²

/bee"veuhr/, n. Armor.

1. a piece of plate armor for covering the lower part of the face and throat, worn esp. with an open helmet, as a sallet or basinet. Cf. buffe, wrapper (def. 7).

2. a piece of plate armor, pivoted at the sides, forming part of a close helmet below the visor or ventail. See diag. under close helmet.

[1400-50; late ME bavier, bavour < MF baviere (OF: bib), equiv. to bave spit, dribble + -iere < L -aria, fem. of -arius -ARY; alteration of vowel in the initial syll. is unexplained]

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Either species of the aquatic rodent family Castoridae (genus Castor), both of which are well known for building dams.

Beavers are heavyset and have short legs and large, webbed hind feet. They grow as large as 4 ft (1.3 m) long, including the 1-ft (30-cm) tail, and as heavy as 66 lb (30 kg). Beavers build their dams of sticks, stones, and mud in small rivers, streams, and lakes, often producing sizable ponds. With their powerful jaws and large teeth, they can fell medium-size trees, whose branches they use in their dams and whose tender bark and buds they eat. One or more family groups share a dome-shaped stick-and-mud lodge built in the water, with tunnel entrances below water level. American beavers (C. canadensis) range from northern Mexico to the Arctic. Their prized pelts stimulated the exploration of western North America, and by 1900 beavers were trapped to near extinction. Eurasian beavers (C. fiber) are now found in only a few locations, including the Elbe and Rhône drainages of Europe. The mountain beaver of the Pacific Northwest is unrelated.

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▪ county, Pennsylvania, United States

      county, western Pennsylvania, U.S., bordered to the west by Ohio and West Virginia. It consists of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau drained by the Ohio (Ohio River) and Beaver rivers. Other waterways include Ambridge Reservoir, Brush Creek, and Raccoon Creek, which runs through Raccoon Creek State Park.

      The county was created in 1800. After founding utopian communities in nearby Butler county (1805) and in the state of Indiana (1814), George Rapp (Rapp, George) and his Pietist sect of Harmonists (Rappites) created an agricultural and manufacturing centre called Economy (1825–1906). The thriving community dwindled in the late 19th century. The American Bridge Company (USX Corporation) bought the village in 1901 and later renamed it Ambridge (1906). Old Economy Village features several restored buildings from the early settlement.

      Among the county's other communities are Aliquippa, Beaver Falls, Monaca, New Brighton, Baden, and Beaver, which is the county seat. The main economic activities are retail trade, services, and manufacturing, especially steel, glass, and electronic equipment. Area 435 square miles (1,127 square km). Pop. (2000) 181,412; (2007 est.) 173,074.

▪ people

      a small, Athabascan-speaking North American Indian tribe living in the mountainous riverine areas of northern Alberta. In the early 18th century they were driven westward into this area by the expanding Cree, who, armed with guns, were exploiting the European fur trade. The name Beaver derives from the Indian name for their main site, Tsades, or River of Beavers, now called the Peace River.

      Traditionally, the Beaver were scattered in many independent nomadic bands, each with its own hunting territory. They hunted moose, caribou, beavers, and bison; lived in skin-covered tepees in winter and brush-covered tepees or lean-tos in summer; and traveled mainly by canoe. Beaver descendants numbered more than 750 in the early 21st century.

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