Emily Dickinson Lexicon

bestow (-ed, -s), v. [ME; see stow, v.] (webplay: father, feed, force, gentleman, God, grace, lay out, munificent, poor, use).

1. Expose; sacrifice; submit; make vulnerable.
2. Give; grant; impart; present; make another the recipient of; (see 1 Corinthians 13:3).
3. Inter; bury; entomb; enshrine; commit to the grave; commend to God.
4. Place; arrange; organize; set up; (see 1 Kings 10:26).
5. Phrase. “Bestow on”: confer upon; assign to; entrust with; contribute to; (see Isaiah 63:7).

bestowal, n. [see bestow, v.]

Conferral; gifting; endowment; bequest; donation; unearned gift.

bestowing, verbal n. [see bestow, v.]

Gift; boon; favor; offering; bequest; act of grace; gesture of affection.

bet, v. [origin uncertain; see abet, v.]

Gamble; wager; risk; take a chance; seek adventure; dare to travel.

betake (-s), v. [ME; see take, v.]

Resign; commit; surrender; relinquish; submit; deliver; give up.

bethink (bethought), v. [OE; see think, v.]

Consider; plan; conceive; contrive; propose to oneself; form as a thought in the mind.

Bethleem, proper n. [Gk. form of Heb.; see Bethlehem, proper n.]

Resort in the White Mountains of New Hampshire; town where Mrs. Helen Hunt vacationed; [word play on “bedlam”] lunacy; madness; Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem; London asylum for mentally ill people.

Bethlehem (-'s, Bethleem), proper n. [Heb. 'house of bread', 'granary', 'storehouse for food'.] (webplay: Savior, star).

1. Ephrath; city of David; village in Judea; birth place of Christ; Old Testament storehouse city; (see 2 Samuel 23:15, Luke 2:4, and ED letters).
2. Phrase. “Star of Bethleem”: bright star that shone when Jesus was born in Bethlehem (see Matthew 2:2-10); [kenning] Christ; beloved Son of God; Deity of the New Testament; [metaphor] most beloved human companion.

betide (-s), v. [ME.]

Occur; take place; come about; happen by chance.

betimes, adv. [ME 'early, seasonably'; see time, v.]

Sometimes; occasionally; shortly; every so often; at irregular intervals.