beer

See also: Beer, béer, beér, bëër, be-er, and Béër

English
WOTD – 28 March 2016
A tall glass of German beer.

Etymology 1

From Middle English bere, from Old English bēor (“beer”) (Oxford OED notes: "rare, except in poetry"), from Proto-West Germanic *beuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *beuzą (“beer”) (putatively from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeusóm), meaning “brewer's yeast”.

However, also see the "beer" entry on OED (q.v.), which links a connection to monastic Vulgar Latin *biber (“a drink, beverage”), from Latin bibere (“to drink”). Samuel Johnson in his famous 18th-century A Dictionary of the English Language guessed it was from (unattested) Welsh *bîr; he distinguished it in his time from ale — the ancient usual word — by beer being older-aged and/or smaller.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bjoor, West Frisian bier, German Low German Beer, Dutch bier, German Bier, Icelandic bjór (“beer”).

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /bɪə/, /bɪː/
    • Audio (UK)(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /bɪɚ/, /bɪɹ/
    • Audio (US)(file)
  • Homophone: bier
  • (near–square merger) IPA(key): /bɛə/
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Homophone: bear (New Zealand, near–square merger)
  • Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

Noun

beer (countable and uncountable, plural beers)

  1. (uncountable) An alcoholic drink fermented from starch material, commonly barley malt; often with hops or some other substance (like gruit) to impart a bitter flavor.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:beer
    Beer is brewed all over the world.
    • 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
      “ […] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes like
        Here's rattling good luck and roaring good cheer, / With lashings of food and great hogsheads of beer. […] ”
  2. (uncountable) A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc.
  3. (uncountable) A solution produced by steeping plant materials in water or another fluid.
  4. (countable) A glass, bottle, or can of any of the above beverages.
    I bought a few beers from the shop for the party.
    Can I buy you a beer?
    I'd like two beers and a glass of white wine.
  5. (countable) A variety of the above beverages.
    Pilsner is one of the most commonly served beers in Europe.
    I haven't tried this beer before.
Derived terms
Terms derived from beer (noun)

Pages starting with “beer”.

Descendants
Translations
See also: Thesaurus:beer/translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

beer (third-person singular simple present beers, present participle beering, simple past and past participle beered)

  1. (informal, transitive) To give beer to (someone)
    • 1870, Sidney Daryl, His First Brief. A Comedietta in Clement Scott, Drawing-room Plays and Parlour Pantomimes, Robson and Sons, pages 303–304:
      No doubt he then can feed us, wine us, beer us, And cook us something that can warm and cheer us.
    • 2010, Steve Brezenhoff, The Absolute Value of -1, Carolrhoda Lab, page 121:
      “Beer me!” said Goody. “Also your weed is shit. Where’s the good stuff, dude?”
    • 2013, Janet E. Cameron, Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World, Hatchette Books Ireland, page 124:
      I heard Patty Marsh yelling, ‘Beer him, Eleanor!’
    • 2013, R. D. Power, Forbidden, page 39:
      “Beer me!” To his astonishment she obeyed his command, appearing a minute later with a glass of beer and a wry smile.
  2. (informal, intransitive) To drink beer.
    • 2008, Charles Foran, Join the Revolution, Comrade: Journeys and Essays, page 83:
      In Japan, students on a Friday night announce “Let's beer!”

Etymology 2

From Middle English beere, equivalent to be +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

Noun

beer (plural beers)

  1. (nonstandard) One who is or exists.
    • 1990, Budge Wilson, “Be-ers and Doers”, in The leaving, and other stories:
      That meant, among other things, that he was going to be a fast-moving doer. And even when he was three or four, it wasn't hard for me to know that this wasn't going to be easy. Because Albert was a beer. Born that way.
Alternative forms

Further reading

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /bɪər/
  • audio(file)

Etymology 1

From Dutch beer, from Proto-Germanic *berô.

Noun

beer (plural bere, diminutive beertjie)

  1. bear

Etymology 2

From Dutch beer, from Proto-West Germanic *bair.

Noun

beer (plural bere)

  1. boar (male swine)

Dutch

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /beːr/, [bɪːr]
  • audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: beer
  • Rhymes: -eːr

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch bēre, from Old Dutch *bero, from Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô.

Noun

beer m (plural beren, diminutive beertje n)

  1. A bear, any member of the family Ursidae
    De beer drinkt bier.
    The bear drinks beer.
  2. (figurative) A person who is physically impressive and/or crude
    Wat een beer van een vent daar voorin, he?
    What a bear of a guy there in front, huh?
Derived terms
animal species
Descendants

Etymology 2
Een beer of steunbeer. — A buttress.

From Middle Dutch bêer, from Old Dutch *bēr, from Proto-West Germanic *bair.

Noun

beer m (plural beren, diminutive beertje n)

  1. boar (male swine)
    De kinderboerderij heeft een aantal zeugen en maar één beer.
    The petting zoo has a number of sows and only one boar.
  2. buttress; protective external construction, notably against ice or supporting the weight of the main building
  3. A boar-shaped type of battering ram
  4. A male badger
Derived terms
Descendants

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch bere, from Old Dutch [Term?], from a derivative of Proto-West Germanic *bermō (“yeast”), related to Old English beorma, Albanian burmë.

Noun

beer m (plural beren, diminutive beertje n)

  1. (now dialectal) liquid, notably human manure (excrement gathered in a pit to fertilize)
    Wie doet er nu beer in zijn bier? Ik haat beer!
    Who in the world would put liquid manure in his beer? I hate manure!
Derived terms

Etymology 4

Borrowed from German Bär. Cognate to etymology 1.

Noun

beer m (plural beren)

  1. (university slang) debt
    Synonym: schuld
    Door haar gokverslaving zat ze met een enorme beer opgescheept.
    Due to her gambling addiction she was saddled with an enormous debt.
  2. (university slang) creditor (one to whom one owes debt)
    Synonym: schuldeiser
    Henry zag niet zijn beren op de weg, maar wel bij hem op de stoep.
    Henry didn't see his creditors on the road, but he did see them on his doorstep.

References
  • M. J. Koenen & J. Endepols, Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (tevens Vreemde-woordentolk), Groningen, Wolters-Noordhoff, 1969 (26th edition) [Dutch dictionary in Dutch]

Latin

Verb

beer

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of beō

Limburgish

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /beːʀ/
  • Hyphenation: beer
  • Rhymes: -eːʀ

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German bêr, from Old Saxon bior, from Proto-West Germanic *beuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *beuzą.

Alternative forms

Noun

beer n

  1. beer

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch bere, from Old Dutch bēro, from Proto-West Germanic *bair.

Alternative forms

Noun

beer m

  1. boar (male swine)
  • zoog (“female swine”)

Etymology 3

From Middle High German ber, from Old High German beri. Alternatively from Middle Dutch bere, from Old Dutch *beri. Both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *baʀi, from Proto-Germanic *bazją, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-.

Alternative forms

Noun

beer f

  1. berry

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *bēr, from Proto-West Germanic *bair.

Noun

bêer m

  1. boar, male pig

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Further reading
  • “beer”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bere (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page bere

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Early Medieval Latin badāre.

Verb

beer

  1. (transitive) to open
  2. (intransitive) to open
  3. (chiefly) to pant; to breathe heavily
  4. (figuratively) to desire; to lust for

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. 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 beer (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
simple compound
infinitive beer avoir beé
gerund en beant gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle beant
past participle beé
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative jo tu il nos vos il
simple
tenses		 present be bees bee beons beez beent
imperfect beoie, beeie, beoe, beeve beoies, beeies, beoes, beeves beoit, beeit, beot, beeve beïiens, beïens beïiez, beïez beoient, beeient, beoent, beevent
preterite beai beas bea beames beastes beerent
future beerai beeras beera beerons beeroiz, beereiz, beerez beeront
conditional beeroie, beereie beeroies, beereies beeroit, beereit beeriiens, beeriens beeriiez, beeriez beeroient, beereient
compound
tenses		 present perfect present tense of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
past anterior preterite tense of avoir + past participle
future perfect future tense of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que jo que tu qu’il que nos que vos qu’il
simple
tenses		 present be bez bet beons beez beent
imperfect beasse beasses beast beïssons, beïssiens beïssoiz, beïssez, beïssiez beassent
compound
tenses		 past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nos vos –
— bee — beons beez —

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Middle French: beer
  • Norman: béguer
  • Picard: beyer
  • Walloon: bawî

References
  • Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (beer)

Somali

Etymology 1

From Proto-Cushitic *baar-, from Proto-Afroasiatic *bur-. Cognates include Afar baaxo, Saho baarho, Arabic بَرّ (barr), Hebrew בַּר (bar), and Sabaean 𐩨𐩧 (br).

Noun

beer ?

  1. cultivated field, garden

Noun

beer ?

  1. liver

References
  • Puglielli, Annarita, Mansuur, Cabdalla Cumar (2012) “beer”, in Qaamuuska Af-Soomaliga‎, Rome: RomaTrE-Press, →ISBN, page 101
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