beefeater

noun

beef·​eat·​er ˈbēf-ˌē-tər How to pronounce beefeater (audio)
often capitalized
1
: a yeoman of the guard that forms part of an English monarch's train on state occasions
2
: a warder of the tower of London uniformed like a beefeater

Examples of beefeater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
They were said to have feasted on roast beef every Sunday after church, and soon came to be known as beefeaters. New York Times, 17 May 2018 In the 1990s, a prion disorder called mad cow disease jumped from cattle to humans, appearing as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and killing about 130 young beefeaters so far, most of them in Great Britain. Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6 July 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of beefeater was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near beefeater

Cite this Entry

“Beefeater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beefeater. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

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