Where does “beaver” come from?

Beaver comes from Middle English bever, from Old English beofor, from Latin bibo meaning "to drink," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- and bʰer-.

beaver (English): A semiaquatic rodent of the genus "Castor",...

Definitions

  1. A semiaquatic rodent of the genus "Castor",...

Ancestry of “beaver”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishbeverA beaver; Beaver fur, skin, or pelt, or a similar...
2Anglo-NormanbeverAlternative form of beivre; beaver
3Latinbibōto drink
4Latin-ilis-ile
5Proto-Italic-elis
6Proto-Indo-European-elis
7Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós