BESTUD, be-stud', _v.t._ to adorn as with studs, as the sky with stars.
BET, bet, _n._ a wager: something staked to be lost or won on the result of a doubtful issue, as a horse-race, or the like.--_v.t._ and _v.i._ to lay or stake, as a bet:--_pr.p._ bet'ting; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ bet or bet'ted.--_ns._ BET'TER, one who bets--also BET'TOR; BET'TING, act of betting or proposing a wager.--AN EVEN BET, an equal chance.--YOU BET, in American slang, certainly. [Prob. shortened from the noun ABET.]
BETAKE, be-t[=a]k', _v.t._ to take one's self to, to go (with _self_): to apply or have recourse:--_pa.t._ betook'; _pa.p._ bet[=a]k'en.
BETEEM, be-t[=e]m', _v.t._ (_Shak._) to grant, to suffer, to allow. [Most prob. from pfx. _be-_, and TEEM.]
BETEL, b[=e]'tl, _n._ the betel-nut, or nut of the areca palm, with lime and the leaves of the Betel-Pepper, chewed by the Malays as a stimulant.
[Through Port. from Malay _vettila_.]
BETHANKIT, be-thank'it, Scotch for 'God be thanked.'
BETHEL, beth'el, _n._ a hallowed spot, a name applied by some Methodists to their places of worship: an old ship fitted up in a port as a place of worship for sailors. [Heb. _B[=e]th-[=e]l_, house of God.]
BETHINK, be-thingk', _v.t._ to think on or call to mind: to recollect (generally followed by a reflective pronoun and _of_): to propose to one's self.--_v.i._ to consider:--_pa.t._ and _pa.p._ bethought (be-thawt').
[A.S. _bithencan_; cf. Ger. _bedenken_. See THINK.]
BETHRALL, be-thrawl', _v.t._ (_Spens._) to enslave.
BETHUMB, be-thum', _v.t._ to mark with the thumbs:--_pa.p._ bethumbed'.
BETHUMP, be-thump', _v.t._ to thump or beat soundly.
BETHWACK, be-thwak', _v.t._ to thrash soundly.
BETIDE, be-t[=i]d', _v.i._ to happen to, to befall--in third person, and often impersonally, with dative object, now little used save in phrase, 'woe betide!': (_rare_) to betoken:--_pa.p._ (_Shak._) BETID'. [See TIDE.]
BETIME, be-t[=i]m', _v.i._ (_Shak._) to betide.
BETIMES, be-t[=i]mz', _adv._ in good time: early: seasonably: speedily.
[Pfx. _be-_, and TIME, with _adv._ gen. _-s_; like _besides_ from beside.]
BETITLE, be-t[=i]'tl, _v.t._ to give a name to.
BETOIL, be-toil', _v.t._ to weary with toil.
BETOKEN, be-t[=o]'kn, _v.t._ to show by a sign: to foreshow. [See TOKEN.]
BETONY, bet'on-i, _n._ a common British labiate plant growing in woods, of great repute in ancient and medieval medicine, used to dye wool yellow.
[Fr.--L. _betonica_, _vettonica_.]
BETOOK, be-took', _pa.t._ of BETAKE.
BETOSSED, be-tost', _pa.p._ (_Shak._) agitated.
BETRAY, be-tr[=a]', _v.t._ to give up treacherously: to disclose in breach of trust: to let go basely or weakly: to deceive the innocent and trustful, to seduce: to discover or show: to show signs of.--_ns._ BETRAY'AL, act of betraying; BETRAY'ER, a traitor, the seducer of a trustful girl. [Pfx.
_be-_, and O. Fr. _trar_ (Fr. _trahir_)--L. _trad[)e]re_, to deliver up.]
BETRIM, be-trim', _v.t._ to trim or set in order, to deck, to dress.
BETRODDEN, be-trod'n, _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ of BETREAD', to tread over or walk upon.
BETROTH, be-troth', _v.t._ to contract or promise in order to marriage: to affiance: (_obs._) to pledge one's self to any cause.--_ns._ BETROTH'AL, BETROTH'MENT, an agreement or contract with a view to marriage. [Pfx.
_be-_, and TROTH or TRUTH.]
BETTER, bet'[.e]r, _adj._ (serves as _comp._ of GOOD) good in a greater degree: preferable: improved: more suitable: larger: kinder: stronger in health.--_adv._ (_comp._ of WELL) well in a greater degree: more fully or completely: over or more than: with greater advantage: (_pl._) superiors.--_v.t._ to make better (also reflexively, to better one's self), to improve: to benefit: also with intransitive sense, to grow better.--_p.adjs._ BET'TERED, improved, amended; BET'TERING, improving.--_ns._ BET'TERING, BET'TERMENT, BET'TERNESS.--_adj._ BET'TERMOST.--BETTER HALF, a jocose term for a wife, once applied seriously to either wife or husband, and even the soul as opposed to the body.--I HAD BETTER = I should hold it better to--the original construction having been a dative pronoun.--TO BE BETTER OFF, to be in superior circumstances; TO BE BETTER THAN ONE'S SELF, to do more than one had promised; TO GET THE BETTER OF, to gain the advantage over. [A.S. _bet_ (adv.), _betera_, better; Goth.
_batiza_, Ger. _besser_. Prob. cog. with BOOT.]
BETTY, bet'ti, _n._ a man who troubles himself with the women's work in a household: a _slang_ name for a burglar's jemmy or _jenny_. [_Betty_, _Bet_, familiar abbrev. of _Elizabeth_.]
BETUMBLED, be-tum'bld, _adj._ (_Shak._) tumbled or disordered.
BETUTOR, be-t[=u]'tor, _v.t._ to tutor or instruct.
BETWEEN, be-tw[=e]n', BETWIXT, be-twikst', _prep._ in the middle of two, of space, time, or degree: in the middle or intermediate space, to defend or separate: expressing reciprocal relation from one to another: by the joint action of two or more persons.--_ns._ BETWEEN'-DECKS, the space between any two decks of a ship; BETWEEN'ITY (_rare_), state of being between.--_prep._ BETWEEN'-WHILES, at intervals.--BETWEEN OURSELVES, in confidence; BETWIXT AND BETWEEN, in a middling position.--TO GO BETWEEN, to act as a mediator.
[A.S. _betweonum_ _betweonan_--_be_, and _twegen_, _twa_, two, twain.]
[Illustration]
BEVEL, bev'el, _n._ a slant or inclination of a surface: an instrument opening like a pair of compasses, and adjustable for measuring angles.--_adj._ having the form of a bevel: slanting.--_v.t._ to form with a bevel or slant:--_pr.p._ bev'elling; _pa.p._ bev'elled.--_ns._ BEV'EL-GEAR, BEV'EL-WHEELS (_mech._), wheels working on each other in different planes, the cogs of the wheels being bevelled or at oblique angles to the shafts.--_p.adj._ BEV'ELLED, cut to an oblique angle, sloped off. [Fr. _biveau_, an instrument for measuring angles; orig. unknown.]
BEVER, an obsolete form of BEAVER.
BEVERAGE, bev'[.e]r-[=a]j, _n._ drink: a mixture of cider and water: any agreeable liquor for drinking.--_n._ BE'VER, a small repast between meals: (_obs._) a time for drinking.--_v.i._ to take such a repast. [O. Fr.
_bevrage_ (Fr. _breuvage_), _beivre_--L. _bibere_, to drink.]
BEVY, bev'i, _n._ a brood or flock of birds, esp. of quails: a company, esp. of ladies. [M. E. _bevey_, prob. the same as O. Fr. _bevee_, _buvee_, drink, It. _bevuta_, a draught; the transference of sense being perh. from a drink or a drinking-bout to a drinking-party.]
BEWAIL, be-w[=a]l', _v.t._ to lament: to mourn loudly over (esp. the dead).--_v.i._ to utter lamentations.--_adjs._ BEWAIL'ABLE, BEWAIL'ING.
[See WAIL.]
BEWARE, be-w[=a]r', _v.i._ to be on one's guard: to be suspicious of danger: to take care (with _of_; with clause--_lest_, _that_, _not_, _how_). [From the words _be_ and _ware_ run together. See WARY.]
BEWEEP, be-w[=e]p', _v.t._ to weep over, to lament.--_p.adj._ BEWEPT', disfigured by weeping.
BEWELTERED, be-wel't[.e]rd, _p.adj._ besmeared by weltering in blood. [Pfx.
_be-_, and WELTER.]
BEWET, be-wet', _v.t._ (_Shak._) to wet or moisten.
BEWIG, be-wig', to cover with a wig.--_p.adj._ BEWIGGED'.
BEWILDER, be-wil'd[.e]r, _v.t._ to perplex or lead astray.--_p.adj._ BEWIL'DERED, lost, confused in mind, trackless.--_adj._ BEWIL'DERING.--_adv._ BEWIL'DERINGLY.--_n._ BEWIL'DERMENT, confusion, mental confusion: perplexity. [Pfx. _be-_, and prov. Eng. _wildern_, a wilderness.]
BEWITCH, be-wich', _v.t._ to affect by witchcraft (mostly malignantly): to fascinate or charm.--_ns._ BEWITCH'ERY, BEWITCH'MENT.--_adj._ BEWITCH'ING, charming, enchanting.--_adv._ BEWITCH'INGLY.
BEWRAY, be-r[=a]', _v.t._ (_B._) to accuse: to point out: to betray or divulge unintentionally. [M. E. _bewreien_, _be-_, and A.S. _wregan_, to accuse.]
BEY, b[=a], _n._ a Turkish governor of a town or province. [Turk. _beg_, pronounced _b[=a]_, a governor.]