ˈbi:kə n. 1 a
tall drinking-vessel, usu. of
plastic and tumbler-shaped. 2 a lipped cylindrical
glass vessel for scientific experiments. 3
archaic or
literary a
large drinking-vessel
with a
wide mouth. øBeaker
Folk Archaeol. a
people thought to
have come to Britain
from Central Europe in
the early Bronze Age, named
after beaker-shaped
pottery found in
their graves. [ME f. ON bikarr, perh. f. Gk bikos drinking-bowl]