Beer
Pronunciation
- IPA: /bɪə(ɹ)/
- UK IPA: /bɪə/
- US IPA: /bɪɹ/, /biəɹ/
- Rhymes: -ɪə(r)
- Homophones: bier
Origin 1
From Middle English bere, from Old English bēor ("beer"), from Proto-Germanic *beuzą ("beer"), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰews-, *bews- ("dross, sediment, brewer's yeast"). Cognate with West Frisian bier ("beer"), German Low German Beer ("beer"), Dutch bier ("beer"), German Bier ("beer"), Icelandic bjór ("beer"), Swedish buska ("freshly brewed beer, new beer"), Middle Dutch & Middle Low German būsen ("to feast, booze, drink heavily"), Middle High German būs ("a swelling"). Non-Germanic cognates include probably Albanian mbush ("to fill, stuff"). More at booze.
Full definition of beer
Noun
beer
(countable and uncountable; plural beers)- (uncountable) An alcoholic drink fermented from starch material commonly barley malt, often with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor.Beer is brewed all over the world.I love beer but I know it is bad for you.
- 1922, Ben Travers, A Cuckoo in the Nest Chapter 1, “… 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. …†- (uncountable) A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc.
- (uncountable) A solution produced by steeping plant materials in water or another fluid.
- (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.
- (countable) A variety of the above beverages.Amstel is one of the most commonly sold beers in Europe.I haven't tried this beer before.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Pronunciation
- GenAm IPA: /ˈbi.ɚ/
- RP IPA: /ˈbiË.É™/
Origin 2
Noun
beer
(plural beers)- One who is or exists.
- 1990, Budge Wilson, The leaving, and other stories Chapter Be-ers and Doers, 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.