beaker

English

Etymology

From Middle English bekyr, biker, from Old Norse bikarr (“cup”), from Old Saxon bikeri (“cup”), from Proto-West Germanic *bikārī, from Late Latin bīcārium (“wine vat, jug”), of disputed origin. Possibly from Ancient Greek βῖκος (bîkos, “earthenware jug, wine jar”), or from Latin bacarium (“wine vat, vase”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Bieker (“mug, cup, beaker”), Dutch beker (“beaker, cup”), German Becher (“beaker, cup, goblet”), Danish bæger (“beaker”), Italian bicchiere (“cup, glass (for drink)”). Doublet of pitcher.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːkə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːkɚ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːkə(ɹ)

Noun

beaker (plural beakers)

1. A flat-bottomed vessel, with a lip, used as a laboratory container.
2. A drinking vessel without a handle, sometimes for the use of children.
3. A mug.
4. (slang, Antarctica) A scientist.
   • 2008, Kim Stanley Robinson, Antarctica, page 52:

     […] at every meal break he shambled into the galley black-fingered and smelling of engine-grease and concrete floors, to contemplate over his meal the beakers at their round tables chatting away, completely oblivious […]

Hyponyms

• (drinking vessel without a handle): glass (2nd definition), tumbler

Derived terms

• beakerful
• beaker people, beaker folk
• fleaker

 

Descendants

• → Irish: bíocar
• → Welsh: bicer

Translations

flat-bottomed laboratory vessel

• Bulgarian: лабораторна чаша (laboratorna čaša)
• Catalan: vas de precipitats m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 燒杯 / 烧杯 (zh) (shāobēi)

• Danish: bægerglas
• Dutch: bekerglas (nl) n
• Finnish: dekantterilasi, keitinlasi
• French: bécher (fr) m
• Galician: vaso (gl) m
• German: Becherglas (de) n
• Hungarian: főzőpohár
• Indonesian: gelas piala
• Irish: eascra m
• Italian: bicchiere (it) m, becher (it) m
• Kannada: ಚುಂಚುಪಾತ್ರೆ (kn) (cuñcupātre)
• Macedonian: мензу́ра f (menzúra)
• Malay: bikar (ms)
• North Frisian: (Mooring) baager m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: begerglass n

  Nynorsk: begerglas n

• Persian: بشر (fa) (bešer)
• Polish: zlewka (pl) f
• Portuguese: béquer (pt) m
• Russian: стака́н (ru) m (stakán) (cylindrical), мензу́рка (ru) f (menzúrka) (conical)
• Slovene: čaša f
• Spanish: vaso de precipitación m, vaso de precipitados m
• Swedish: bägare (sv) c
• Tagalog: lumbo
• Welsh: bicer m

drinking vessel without a handle

• Bulgarian: ча́ша (bg) f (čáša), стака́н m (stakán)
• Dutch: beker (nl) m
• Finnish: muki (fi)
• French: gobelet (fr) m
• Galician: vaso (gl) m
• German: Becher (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: δέπας n (dépas)

• Hebrew: גָבִיעַ (he) m (gavía)
• Irish: bíocar m
• Latin: obba f
• Macedonian: ча́ша f (čáša)
• North Frisian: (Mooring) baager m
• Norwegian: beger n, krus n
• Polish: kubek (pl) m
• Russian: пиа́ла (ru) f (piála), ку́бок (ru) m (kúbok), ча́ша (ru) f (čáša), стака́н (ru) m (stakán) (glass)
• Swedish: mugg (sv) c

mug

• Bulgarian: кана (bg) (kana)
• Dutch: beker (nl) m, (Netherlands) mok (nl) f, (Flanders) tas (nl) f
• Finnish: muki (fi)
• Galician: pichel (gl) m
• German: Becher (de) m
• Hebrew: ספל (he) m (sefel)
• Irish: muga m
• Macedonian: бо́кал m (bókal), ка́на f (kána)
• North Frisian: (Mooring) baager m
• Polish: kubek (pl) m
• Russian: кру́жка (ru) f (krúžka)
• Swedish: mugg (sv) c
• Welsh: mẁg m

Anagrams

• breake, e-brake, rebake