[beard] n [ME berd, fr. OE beard; akin to OHG bart beard, L barba] (bef. 12c) 1: the hair that grows on a man's face often excluding the mustache
2: a hairy or bristly appendage or tuft
3: front 7a -- beard.ed adj -- beard.ed.ness n -- beard.less adj
[2]beard vt (1525) 1: to confront and oppose with boldness, resolution, and often effrontery: defy
2: to furnish with a beard