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beaker

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beaker

  • /ˈbiːkə(ɹ)/ UK
  • /ˈbiːkɚ/ US

Rhymes with -iːkə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

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.

noun beakers

  1. A flat-bottomed, straight-sided, glass vessel, with a lip and often a small spout, used as a laboratory container.
  2. A drinking vessel without a handle. The beakers of mead spilled in huge puddles.
  3. A mug.
  4. An ancient bell-shaped ceramic pot with a wide mouth, narrow neck, and flaring body, used by the Beaker people during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age.
  5. slang A scientist. […] 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 […]

Translations

Every language

noun flat-bottomed laboratory vessel

Españolvaso de precipitación, vaso de precipitados, matraz
한국어비커 bikeo
日本語ビーカー bīkā
中文燒杯 /烧杯 shāobēi
Portuguêsbéquer, gobelé
Françaisbécher
DeutschBecherglas
Italianobicchiere, becher
Русскийстака́н stakán, мензу́рка menzúrka

noun drinking vessel without a handle

Françaisgobelet
DeutschBecher
Русскийстака́н stakán, пиа́ла piála, ку́бок kúbok, ча́ша čáša
עבריתגָבִיעַ gavía

noun mug

DeutschBecher
Русскийкру́жка krúžka
עבריתספל sefel

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Cite this
MLA

"beaker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/beaker. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

beaker. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/beaker

Chicago

"beaker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/beaker.

BibTeX
@misc{beaker_2026,
  title = {beaker},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/beaker},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}