beer

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. a general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavored with hops
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Beer \Beer\, n. [OE. beor, ber, AS. be['o]r; akin to Fries. biar, Icel. bj?rr, OHG. bior, D. & G. bier, and possibly E. brew. [root]93, See Brew.]

1.A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor. [1913 Webster]

Note: Beer has different names, as small beer, ale, porter, brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other qualities. See Ale. [1913 Webster]

2.A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc. [1913 Webster]

Small beer, weak beer; (fig.) insignificant matters. "To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer." --Shak. [1913 Webster]

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