beard

noun

• 1a growth of hair on the chin and lower cheeks of a man’s face:he had a black beard three days' growth of beard
• a tuft of hair on the chin of certain mammals, for example a lion or goat.
• an animal’s growth or marking that is likened to a beard, e.g., the gills of an oyster, or the beak bristles of certain birds.
• a tuft of hairs or bristles on certain plants, especially the awn of a grass.

• 2US informal a person who carries out a transaction, typically a bet, for someone else in order to conceal the other’s identity.
• North American informal a person who pretends to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone else in order to conceal the other’s true sexual orientation.

verb

• boldly confront or challenge (someone formidable).