Beefeater

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Beefeater \Beef"eat`er\ (b[=e]f"[=e]t`[~e]r), n. [Beef + eater;
     prob. one who eats another's beef, as his servant. Cf. AS.
     hl[=a]f[=ae]ta servant, properly a loaf eater.]
     1. One who eats beef; hence, a large, fleshy person.
        [1913 Webster]
  


     2. One of the yeomen of the guard, in England.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.) An African bird of the genus {Buphaga}, which
        feeds on the larv[ae] of botflies hatched under the skin
        of oxen, antelopes, etc. Two species are known.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  beefeater
       n : officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch
           [syn: {yeoman}, {yeoman of the guard}]