/ bɪə(r); NAmE bɪr/ noun
1.
[ U , C ] an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavoured with hops . There are many types of beer :
a barrel / bottle / glass of beer
beers brewed in Germany
a beer glass
Are you a beer drinker?
2.
[ C ] a glass, bottle or can of beer :
Shall we have a beer?
—see also ginger beer , guest beer , keg beer , root beer , small beer
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English bēor , of West Germanic origin, based on monastic Latin biber a drink, from Latin bibere to drink; related to Dutch bier and German Bier .