Etymology
From Middle English beef, bef, beof, borrowed from Anglo-Norman beof, Old French buef, boef (“oxâ€) (modern French bÅ“uf); from Latin bÅs (“oxâ€), from Proto-Italic *gÊ·Ås, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws. Doublet of cow.
Noun
beef (countable and uncountable, plural beef or beefs or beeves)
- (uncountable) The meat from a cow, bull or other bovine.
- I hate eating beef.
- (archaic) A generic term for a cow or bull (plural beeves).
- Do you want to raise beeves?
- (slang, countable) a grudge, complaint, or disagreement
- He has a beef with anyone who tells him otherwise.
Derived terms
- beef jerky
- beefsteak
- bully beef
- corned beef
- ground beef
- roast beef
- smoked beef
Verb
beef (third-person singular, simple present "beefs", present participle "beefing," simple past and past participle "beefed")
- (intransitive, slang) To complain.
- I gathered from his manner that he had not come to beef about his sleeping accommodation.
- (transitive, slang) To add weight or strength to.
- Synonym: beef up
- (intransitive, slang) To feud or hold a grudge against.
- Those two are beefing right now – best you stay out of it for now.
Derived terms
- beef up
- beef out
Credits
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