Emily Dickinson Lexicon

beatify (beatified), v. [Fr. < L. 'make happy'.]

Sanctify; hallow; glorify; bestow with happiness; achieve celestial enjoyment; qualify to enter heaven after death; [fig.] embody; personify; incarnate; present as a sacred symbol; [fig.] flood; overflow; [word play on “beautify”] embellish.

beating, verbal adj. [see beat, v.] (webplay: felt, ground, justify, key, land).

Pulsing; pounding; throbbing; vibrating; [fig.] wind-blown; storm-tossed; (see Matthew 7:25-27).

Beatrice, proper n. [L. beatrix, woman who blesses, one who makes happy.]

Beatrice Portinari (c. 1266-1290); red-gowned daughter of a rich Florentine; deceased heroine of Dante's Divine Comedy; beloved woman that Dante honors in La Vita Nuova and the Paradiso.

beautiful, adj. [see beauty, n.] (webplay: eyes, face, fair, grace, nature, soul).

1. Exquisite; fine; dainty; elegant in form; pleasing to the eye; appealing to the senses of sight, smell, and touch; (see Isaiah 4:2).
2. Pretty; lovely to look at; physically attractive (see Genesis 29:17); [fig.] divine; excellent; heavenly; holy; celestial; spiritually splendid; complete in goodness.
3. Inspiring; delightful; pleasant; enjoyable; (see Ecclesiastes 3:11).

beautiful, n. [see beauty, n.] (webplay: grace, nature).

Divine order; celestial pattern; state of sublimity; [fig.] lovely season of autumn.

beauty (-'s), n. [ME < OFr < L.] (webplay: color, excellence, eye, face, fair, grace, human, intrinsic, landscape, nature, peace, perceive, sight, soul, sweet, tree).

1. Fairness; comeliness; intrinsic grace; excellence in form, appearance, aspect, etc.
2. Attractiveness; charm; allure; physical appeal; quality that gladdens the senses; assemblage of delightful qualities; pleasing symmetry of form, feature, and proportion; (see Proverbs 31:30).
3. Perfection; flawlessness; moral excellence; superior goodness; (see Exodus 28:2).
4. Transcendence; sublimity; unspeakable loveliness; the ineffable; (see 1 Chronicles 16:29).
5. Coquette; flirt; pretty one; attractive maiden; [fig.] blossom; flower.
6. Nature; creation; divine order; (see Psalm 27:4).
7. Phrase. “For Beauty”: for the sake of aesthetic idealism; in accordance with ideals of classical elegance; [allusion to Keats's poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn”.]

became, v. [see become, v.]

because, adv. and conj. [ME phrase “by the cause”; see by, prep. + cause, n.] (webplay: cause, children, cometh, fled, followed, God, life, mentioned, next, reason, righteousness, spirit, things).

1. Since; based on the evidence that; due to the fact that.
2. Even though; even when; in the circumstance that.
3. For the reason that.
4. For the following reason.

beck, n. [ON bekk-r.]

Stream; rivulet; small brook; [word play on “beckon”] mute signal; nod of the head; gesture to approach; sign of command. 16/Ap13-8 drinking to her no more astir, / by beck, or burn, or moor!

beckon (beckoned, -s), v. [OE bíecnan.] (webplay: finger, nodding).

1. Wave; signal with the hand; motion to come near; command to approach with gesture of a finger; (see Luke 5:7); [word play on “beck”] move like a stream; flow like a brook.
2. Move; bow the head; make gestures; silently command; give mute signs (see Luke 1:22); [fig.] give a signal for an orchestra to begin playing music.
3. Carry; convey; physically sweep; transport by water currents.
4. Call; invite; attract; summon; bid to participate.