beef
Part of speech: noun
verb
adj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English beef, bef, beof, borrowed from Anglo-Norman beof, Old French buef, boef (“ox”) (modern French bœuf); from Latin bovem (“ox”), from Proto-Italic *gʷōs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws. Doublet of cow.
Beef in the sense of “a grudge, argument” was originally an American slang expression:
* attested as a verb “to complain” in 1888: “He'll beef an' kick like a steer an' let on he won't never wear 'em.”— New York World, 13 May;
* attested as a noun “complaint, protest, grievance, sim.” in 1899: “He made a Horrible Beef because he couldn't get Loaf Sugar for his Coffee.”—Fables in Slang (1900) by George Ade, page 80.
As to the possible origin of this American usage, it has been suggested that it can be traced back to a British expression for “alarm”, first recorded in 1725: "BEEF 'to alarm, as To cry beef upon us; they have discover'd us, and are in Pursuit of us". The term "beef" in this context would be a Cockney rhyming slang of thief. However, the continuous use of a similar expression, including its assumed semantic shift to 'complaint' in the United States from the 1880s onwards, needs further clarification.
Inflected forms:
form: beef
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: beefs
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: beeves
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: beefs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: beefing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: beefed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: beefed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: I love eating beef.
He was cooking beef for lunch.
But the cars & trucks held cartons of roast chickens, slabs of cheeses, loaves of bread, racks of hotdogs, case upon case of soft drinks, cases of bottled sparkling water, pies, cakes, roast beefs & baked hams.
gloss: The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: lean finely textured beef
boneless lean beef trimmings
McDonald’s has been vocal about adding more chicken to its menu, which is generally cheaper than beef. CEO Chris Kempczinski said in its most recent earnings call that it’s focused on adding “growth drivers like chicken” in an attempt to reverse slumping sales. Chicken is now on par with beef sales at its restaurants, he added.
gloss: The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
slang
uncountable
examples: Put some beef into it! We've got to get the car over the bump.
We've got to get some beef into the enforcement provisions of that law.
gloss: The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
slang
uncountable
examples: The beef of his paper was a long rant about government.
gloss: Bovine animals.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: However, there were millions of head of beef roaming the plains of Texas.
gloss: A bovine (cow or bull) being raised for its meat.
pos: noun
tags: Canada
US
countable
uncommon
examples: Do you want to raise beeves?
Howbeit, that country bringeth forth certain kinds of goodly great wild bœufes: to wit, the Biſontes, mained with a collar, like Lions: and the Vri, a mightie ſtrong beaſt, and a ſwift: which the ignorant people call Buffles, whereas indeed the Buffle is bred in Affrica, and carieth ſome reſemblance of a calfe rather, or a ſtag.
As when two lions in the ſtill dark night / An herd of beeves ſcatter or num'rous flock / Suddenly, in the abſence of the guard, / So fled the heartleſs Greeks, […]
263. If he [one to whom a beef or sheep is loaned] ruins the beef or sheep that was loaned him, he is to return to the owner a beef for a beef and a sheep for a sheep.
Cutting out a Beef for branding
I remember I killed a beef one time by myself.
gloss: A grudge; dislike (of something or someone); lack of faith or trust (in something or someone); a reason for a dislike or grudge. (often + with)
pos: noun
tags: countable
slang
uncountable
examples: He's got beef over what you said.
He's got a beef with everyone in the room.
Remember what happened last fall? That's his beef with me.
All I got is beef with those that violate me / I shall annihilate thee
gloss: A criminal charge.
pos: noun
tags: countable
slang
uncountable
examples: I'm in prison for attempting to kill two police officers (a genuine bum beef) and am alleged to be a part of a group of mad bombers.
The man most recently murdered is said to have been a key defense witness in the trial of two other Indians facing hanging beefs for their alleged killing of a guard.
gloss: Fibrous calcite or limestone, especially when occurring in a jagged layer between shales in Dorset.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Clays, shales, sands, red and green marls, and alum shale, with occasional layers of "beef" (fibrous carbonate of lime) […] Chief "Beef" Beds, Dark (alum) shales with "beef" and selenite, beds of limestone, and layers of perished shells. Cyrena and Cyrides.
Corbula Beds. Layers of shelly limestone, shale, alum shale, and marl, with "beef" and selenite.
Medium-grey paper shales with beef.
[…] beds of limestone and thin layers of 'beef' (fibrous calcite)[…]
gloss: To complain.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
slang
examples: “Don't you like the Red Room?” “The Red Room!” I gathered from his manner that he had not come to beef about his sleeping accommodation.
"Who's Precious?" she beefed when she saw the big tattoo running down my inner arm.
gloss: To add weight or strength to.
pos: verb
tags: slang
transitive
examples: First off, the axle housing was beefed by welding areas where extreme loading is evident (black marked areas).
gloss: To fart; break wind.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
slang
examples: Ugh, who just beefed in here?
gloss: To cry.
pos: verb
tags: Yorkshire
intransitive
examples: David was beefing last night after Ruth told him off.
gloss: To fail or mess up.
pos: verb
tags: slang
transitive
examples: I beefed my presentation hard yesterday.
gloss: To feud or hold a grudge against.
pos: verb
tags: Multicultural-London-English
intransitive
slang
examples: Those two are beefing right now — best you stay out of it.
gloss: To sing or speak loudly; to cry out.
pos: verb
tags: Australia
intransitive
slang
gloss: Being a bovine animal that is being raised for its meat.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: We bought three beef calves this morning.
gloss: Producing or known for raising lots of beef.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: beef farms
beef country
gloss: Consisting of or containing beef as an ingredient.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: beef stew
gloss: Beefy; powerful; robust.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
slang
examples: Wow, your audio setup is beef!
Related words: bovine
beefwood
beefy
Derived words: Albany beef
baby beef
baron of beef
beefalo
beefaroni
beef bayonet
beef bourguignon
beef-brained
beefburger
beefcake
beef chit
beef curtains
Beefeater
beefeater
beefer
beef flaps
beefhead
beefheaded
beefheart
beef house
beefhouse
beef-house
beef injection
beefish
beef jerky
beefless
beeflike
beef mami
Beefmaster
beef measles
beef olive
beef on the hoof
beef on weck
beef plate
beef rib
beefsteak
beef stew
beef tea
beef tomato
beef to the hoof
beef trust
beef Wellington
beef-witted
beefy
big as bull-beef
boneless lean beef trimmings
bully beef
carabeef
chipped beef
corned beef
cry beef
grass beef
ground beef
ham and beef shop
hot beef injection
hot-beef injection
hung beef
I don't eat beef
Italian beef
kippered beef
Kobe beef
lean finely textured beef
mess beef
Mongolian beef
neckbeef
park the beef bus in tuna town
pit beef
reef and beef
roast beef
roast beef curtains
roast-beef plant
round of beef
salt beef
smoked beef
squash the beef
ugly as bull-beef
what's the beef
where's the beef
beef out
beef up
Translations: