beefeater

[ beef-ee-ter ]
/ ˈbifˌi tər /

noun

a yeoman of the English royal guard or a warder of the Tower of London.
Informal. an Englishman.
a person who eats beef.

Origin of beefeater

First recorded in 1600–10; beef + eater

Words nearby beefeater

beef wellington, beef-up, beefalo, beefburger, beefcake, beefeater, beefed-up, beefmaster, beefsteak, beefsteak begonia, beefsteak fungus

Example sentences from the Web for beefeater

  • So they would have stood forever, if the Beefeater hadn't come in and commanded them, in the queen's name, to drop their weapons.

    The Librarian at Play |Edmund Lester Pearson

  • The beefeater before the door of the Lady Mary's lodgings spat upon the ground when he had passed.

    The Fifth Queen |Ford Madox Ford

British Dictionary definitions for beefeater

beefeater
/ (ˈbiːfˌiːtə) /

noun

a nickname often applied to the Yeomen of the Guard and the Yeomen Warders at the Tower of London