beefed up
adjective
strengthened or reinforced.
Origin:
1940–45
1940–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
the flesh of a cow, steer, or bull raised and killed for its meat.
2.
an adult cow, steer, or bull raised for its meat.
3.
Informal.
a.
brawn; muscular strength.
b.
strength; power.
c.
weight, as of a person.
d.
human flesh.
4.
Slang.
a.
a complaint.
b.
an argument or dispute.
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 5.
Slang. to complain; grumble.
6.
beef up,
a.
to add strength, numbers, force, etc., to; strengthen: During the riots, the nighttime patrol force was beefed up with volunteers.
b.
to increase or add to: to beef up our fringe benefits.
Origin:
1250–1300; 1885–90 for def 5; Middle English < Anglo-French beof, Old French boef < Latin bov- (stem of bōs) ox, cow; akin to cow1
1250–1300; 1885–90 for def 5; Middle English < Anglo-French beof, Old French boef < Latin bov- (stem of bōs) ox, cow; akin to cow1
Related forms
beef·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To beefed up
00:10
Beefed up
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
beef (biːf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , beeves, beefs | |
| 1. | the flesh of various bovine animals, esp the cow, when killed for eating |
| 2. | an adult ox, bull, cow, etc, reared for its meat |
| 3. | informal human flesh, esp when muscular |
| 4. | a complaint |
| —vb (often foll by up) | |
| 5. | slang (intr) to complain, esp repeatedly: he was beefing about his tax |
| 6. | informal to strengthen; reinforce |
| [C13: from Old French boef, from Latin bōs ox; see | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
beef
c.1300, from O.Fr. buef (11c., Mod.Fr. boeuf), from L. bovem (nom. bos, gen. bovis) "ox, cow," from PIE base *gwou- "cow, ox, bull" (see cow (n.)). Original plural was beeves.
beef
"to complain," slang, 1888, Amer.Eng., from noun meaning "complaint" (1880s). The noun meaning "argument" is recorded from 1930s. The origin and signification are unclear; perhaps it traces to the common late 19c. complaint of U.S. soldiers about the quantity or quality of beef rations.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
beef definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Nearby Words
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