Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BE-TAK'ING, ppr.

Having recourse to; applying; resorting.

BE-TAUGHT', v. [pret. of Betake. Not used.]

– Chaucer.

BE-TEEM', v.t. [be and teem.]

To bring forth; to produce; to shed; to bestow. [Not used.] – Spenser. Shak.

BE'TEL, n.

A species of pepper, the leaves of which are chewed by the inhabitants of the East Indies. It is a creeping or climbing plant like the ivy, the leaves somewhat resembling those of the citron. It is planted by a tree, or supported by props. In India, betel is taken after meals; during a visit, it is offered to friends when they meet, and when they separate; in short, nothing is to be done without betel. To correct the bitterness of the leaves, a little areca is wrapped in them with the chinam, a kind of burnt lime made of shells. – Encyc.

BE-THINK', v.i.

To have in recollection; to consider. – Spenser.

BE-THINK', v.t. [pret. and pp. bethought. be and think.]

To call to mind; to recall or bring to recollection, reflection, or consideration; generally followed by a reciprocal pronoun, with of before the subject of thought. I have bethought myself of another fault. – Shak.

BETH'LE-HEM, n. [Heb. the house of food or bread.]

1. A town or village in Judea, about six miles south-east of Jerusalem, famous for its being the place of Christ's nativity.
2. A hospital for lunatics; corrupted into Bedlam.

BETH'LEM-ITE, n.

1. An inhabitant of Bethlehem; a lunatic.
2. In Church history, the Bethlemites were a sort of monks introduced into England in the year 1257, who were habited like the Dominicans, except that they wore a star with five rays, in memory of the comet or star which appeared over Bethlehem at the nativity of our Savior. There is an order of Bethlemites also in Peru. – Encyc.

BE-THOUGHT', [bethaut'; pret. and pp. of Bethink.]

BE-THRALL', v.t. [be and thrall.]

To enslave; to reduce to bondage; to bring into subjection. [Little used.] – Shak.

BE-THRALL'ED, pp.

Enslaved.

BE-THUMP', [be and thump.]

To beat soundly. [Little used.] – Shak.

BE-TIDE', v.i.

To come to pass; to happen. What news else betideth, here? – Shak. Shakspeare has used it with of. What would betide of thee? but this is unusual or improper.

BE-TIDE', v.t. [pret. betid, or betided; pp. betid. be and tide. Sax. tidan, to happen. See Tide.]

To happen; to befall; to come to; used of good or evil. What will betide the few? – Milton.

BE-TIME', or BE-TIMES', adv. [be and time, that is, by the time.]

1. Seasonably; in good season or time; before it is late. To measure life learn thou betimes. – Milton.
2. Soon; in a short time. He tires betimes, that spurs too fast betimes. – Shak.

BE-TOK'EN, v.t. [beto'kn; be and token. Sax. betæcan.]

1. To signify by some visible object; to show by signs. A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow. Betokening peace from God. – Milton.
2. To foreshow by present signs; to indicate something future by that which is seen or known; as, a dark cloud often betokens a storm. – Thomson.

BE-TOK'EN-ED, pp.

Foreshown; previously indicated.

BE-TOK'EN-ING, ppr.

Indicating by previous signs.

BET'O-NY, n. [L. betonica.]

The popular name of a genus of plants, of several species. The purple or wood betony, grows in woods and shady places, and is deemed useful as a mild corroborant. – Encyc.

BE-TOOK', pret. [of Betake.]

BE-TORN', a.

Torn in pieces.

BE-TOSS', v.t. [be and toss.]

To toss; to agitate; to disturb; to put in violent motion. – Shak. Shelton.

BE-TOSS'ED, a.

Tossed; violently agitated.

BE-TRAP', v.t. [from trap.]

To entrap; to insnare. [Not used.] – Occleve.

BE-TRAY', v.t. [Chaucer wrote betrass, betraiss, and the Fr. traître, is a contraction of traistre; Arm. trayçza, to betray; Norm. trahir, to draw in, to betray; treitre, a traitor; Fr. trahir, which seems to be the L. traho. From trahir, is formed trahissant, and trahison, treason. If traho is the root, the sense is, to draw aside, to withdraw, or lead away; which would agree with the D. bedriegen, G. betriegen, Sw. bedraga, Dan. bedrager, to deceive; and treachery, Fr. tricherie, is from the root of trick. I do not find betrogan in the Saxon, but bedrog is rendered fefelit, and this is from dragan, to draw. Betray then seems to be a compound of be and dragan, to draw; and betrass supra, may be from a different root. In strictness, to fail in duty; to be guilty of breach of trust; to violate the confidence reposed. The word does not in itself import to deliver up; but by usage, either with or without the word enemies, it signifies to deliver up, in breach of trust.]

1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; as, an officer betrayed the city. The son of man shall be betrayed into the bands of men. – Matth. xvii.
2. To violate by fraud, or unfaithfulness; as, to betray a trust. If the people of America ever betray their trust, their guilt will merit even greater punishment than other nations have suffered, and the indignation of heaven. – J. Adams.
3. To violate confidence by disclosing a secret, or that which was intrusted; to expose; followed by the person, or the thing; as, my friend betrayed me, or betrayed the secret.
4. To disclose, or permit to appear, what is intended to be kept secret, or what prudence would conceal. Be swift to hear, but cautious of your tongue, lest you betray your ignorance. – Watts. Hence,
5. To mislead or expose to inconvenience not foreseen; as, great confidence betrays a man into errors.
6. To show; to disclose; to indicate what is not obvious at first view, or would otherwise be concealed. Nor, after length of years, a stone betray The place where once the very ruins lay. – Addison. This river betrays its original in its name. – Holwell. All the names in the country betray great antiquity. – Bryant.
7. To fail, or deceive. But when I rise, I shall find my legs betraying me. – Johnson, Boswell.