Beer
Beer ({not transcribed}) , noun
[Old English beor, ber, Anglo-Saxon beór; akin to Fries. biar, Icelandic bjórr, Old High German bior, Dutch & German bier, and possibly English brew. r93, 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.
Beer has different names, as small beer, ale, porter, brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other qualities. See Ale.
2.
A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc.
Collocations (1)
Small beer , weak beer [figurative] insignificant matters. To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.