beard: Meaning and Definition of

beard

Pronunciation: (bērd), [key]
— n.
  1. the growth of hair on the face of an adult man, often including a mustache.
  2. a tuft, growth, or part resembling or suggesting a human beard, as the tuft of long hairs on the lower jaw of a goat or the cluster of hairlike feathers at the base of the bill in certain birds.
  3. a tuft or growth of awns or the like, as on wheat or barley.
  4. a barb or catch on an arrow, fishhook, knitting needle, crochet needle, etc.
  5. Also called
    1. the sloping part of a type that connects the face with the shoulder of the body.
    2. Brit.the space on a type between the bottom of the face of an x-high character and the edge of the body, comprising both beard and shoulder.
    3. the cross stroke on the stem of a capital G. See diag. undertype.
—v.t.
  1. to seize, pluck, or pull the beard of: The hoodlums bearded the old man.
  2. to oppose boldly; defy: It took courage for the mayor to beard the pressure groups.
  3. to supply with a beard.

Beard

Pronunciation: (bērd), [key]
— n.
  1. 1874–1948, and his wife1876–1958, U.S. historians.
  2. 1850–1941, U.S. artist and naturalist: organized the Boy Scouts of America in 1910.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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