DCHP-2

beaver DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

• 1 † n.

  an aquatic rodent, Castor canadensis, of North America, formerly of first importance in the fur trade and long used as an emblem of Canada.

• 2 † n.

  the flesh of the beaver as food.

• 3 † n.

  the pelt of the beaver.

  See also: beaver skin (def. 1)  

• 4 n. — Fur Trade, Hist.

  a unit of exchange equilent to the value of one prime beaver pelt, used in buying furs and bartering provisions, more usually referred to be trappers as a skin (def. 1).

  See also: Hudson's Bay blanket (meaning 1)  made beaver (def. 1)  skin (def. 1)  

• 5a n. — Fur Trade, Hist.

  one of the coins or tokens constituting beaver currency.

  See also: beaver coin  beaver currency  beaverskin token  beaver token  H.B.C. token  Hudson's Bay token  made-beaver token  trade token  

• 5b n.

  See quote.

• 6 n. — Slang, Obs.

  See quote; swamper (def. 1).

  See also: swamper (def. 1)