Etymology dictionary
beadwork (n.) — bedpan (n.)
beadwork (n.)
also bead-work, "ornamental work formed of beads by embroidering, crocheting, etc.," 1762, from bead (n.) + work (n.).
beagle (n.)
late 15c., begel, small type of hound formerly kept to hunt hares, of unknown origin, possibly from French becguele "noisy person," literally "gaping throat," from bayer "open wide" (see bay (n.2)) + gueule "mouth" (see gullet).
beak (n.)
mid-13c., "bird's bill," from Old French bec "beak," figuratively "mouth," also "tip or point of a nose, a lance, a ship, or a shoe," from Late Latin beccus (source also of Italian becco, Spanish pico), by the Romans said to be of Gaulish origin, perhaps from Gaulish beccus, and possibly related to the Celtic stem *bacc- "hook." Or there may be a link in Old English becca "pickax, sharp end." The modern jocular sense of "human nose" is from 1854 (the word was used mid-15c. in the same sense).
beaker (n.)
"open large-mouthed vessel," mid-14c., from Old Norse bikarr or Middle Dutch beker "goblet," probably (with Old Saxon bikeri, Old High German behhari, German Becher) from Medieval Latin bicarium, which is probably a diminutive of Greek bikos "earthenware jug, wine jar, vase with handles," also a unit of measure, a word of uncertain origin.
It is sometimes said to be a Semitic word, perhaps a borrowing from Syrian buqa "a two-handed vase or jug," or from Egyptian b:k.t "oil flask." The form has been assimilated in English to beak. Originally a drinking vessel; attested by 1877 in reference to a similar glass vessel used in scientific laboratories.
beal (n.)
"mouth of a river or valley, opening between hills," 1818 (in Scott), from Gaelic beul "mouth."
be-all (n.)
see be.
beam (v.)
"emit rays of light," c. 1400, from beam (n.) in the "ray of light" sense. The sense of "shine radiantly" is from 1630s; that of "smile radiantly" is from 1804; that of "to direct radio transmissions" is from 1927. Related: Beamed; beaming.
beam (n.)
Old English beam, "living tree," but by late 10c. also "rafter, post, ship's timber," from Proto-Germanic *baumaz "tree" (source also of Old Frisian bam "tree, gallows, beam," Middle Dutch boom, Old High German boum, German Baum "tree," and perhaps also (with unexplained sound changes) Old Norse baðmr, Gothic bagms). This is of uncertain etymology (according to Boutkan probably a substrate word). The shift from *-au- to -ea- is regular in Old English.
The meaning "ray of light" developed in Old English, probably because beam was used by Bede to render Latin columna (lucis), the Biblical "pillar of fire." The meaning "directed flow of radiation" is from 1906. To be on the beam "going in the right direction" (1941) originally was an aviator's term for "to follow the course indicated by a radio beam."
The nautical sense of "one of the horizontal transverse timbers holding a ship together" is from early 13c., hence "greatest breadth of a ship," and slang broad in the beam, by 1894 of ships; of persons, "wide-hipped," by 1938.
beamish (adj.)
1530 (beamysshe, "as the sonne is," in John Palsgrave's "L'éclaircissement de la langue française"), from beam + -ish. Lewis Carroll may have thought he was inventing it in "Jabberwocky" (1871).
bean (n.)
Old English bean "bean, pea, legume," from Proto-Germanic *bauno (source also of Old Norse baun, Middle Dutch bone, Dutch boon, Old High German bona, German Bohne), and related to Latin faba "bean;" Greek phakos "lentil;" Albanian bathë "horse-bean;" Old Prussian babo, Russian bob "bean," but the original form is obscure. Watkins suggests a PIE reduplicated root *bha-bhā- "broad bean;" de Vaan writes that the Italic, Slavic and Germanic "are probably independent loanwords from a European substratum word of the form *bab- (or similar) 'bean'."
As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c. 1300 (hill of beans as something not much to amount to is from 1863). The meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang 1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown at the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910. Bean-shooter as a child's weapon for mischief, a sort of small sling-shot to fire beans, is attested from 1876. Derisive slang bean-counter "accountant" is recorded by 1971.
The notion of lucky or magic beans in English folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream, that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth.
To not know beans "be ignorant" is attested by 1842 in American English, often said to be a New England phrase; it is perhaps from the "object of little worth" sense. Some of the earliest citations give it in a fuller form, but they do not agree: "why, I sometimes think they don't know beans when the bag is open" ["The History of the Saints," 1842]; "This feller don't know beans from porridge, no how." ["Etchings of a Whaling Cruise," 1850]. It might have a connection to the English colloquial expression know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow" (1824).
bean bag (n.)
also bean-bag, "bag filled with beans," 1871 as an object in children's games, 1969 in reference to a type of chair. From bean (n.) + bag (n.).
beanery (n.)
"cheap restaurant," 1884, American English, from bean (n.) + -ery.
beanie (n.)
"small, close-fitting hat," 1940, from bean (n.) in the slang sense of "head" + -ie.
beano (n.)
1888, colloquial shortening of beanfest "annual dinner given by employers for their workers" (1805); they had a reputation for rowdiness. From bean (n.) + fest (n.).
beanpole (n.)
also bean-pole, "stick for a bean plant to grow round," 1791, from bean (n.) + pole (n.1). As "very thin person," 1837.
bean-stalk (n.)
also beanstalk, "stem of a bean plant," 1800 (in the story of Jack and the giant), from bean (n.) + stalk (n.).
bearing (n.)
mid-13c., "a carrying of oneself, deportment," verbal noun from bear (v.). The meaning "direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen or is moving" is from 1630s; to take (one's) bearings is from 1711. The mechanical sense of "part of a machine that 'bears' the friction" is from 1791.
bear (v.)
Old English beran "to carry, bring; bring forth, give birth to, produce; to endure without resistance; to support, hold up, sustain; to wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, past participle boren), from Proto-Germanic *beranan (source also of Old Saxon beran, Old Frisian bera "bear, give birth," Middle Dutch beren "carry a child," Old High German beran, German gebären, Old Norse bera "carry, bring, bear, endure; give birth," Gothic bairan "to carry, bear, give birth to"), from PIE root *bher- (1) "carry a burden, bring," also "give birth" (though only English and German strongly retain this sense, and Russian has beremennaya "pregnant").
The Old English past tense bær became Middle English bare; the alternative bore began to appear c. 1400, but bare remained the literary form till after 1600. Past-participle distinction of borne for "carried" and born for "given birth" is from late 18c.
Many senses are from the notion of "move onward by pressure." To bear down "proceed forcefully toward" (especially in nautical use) is from 1716. The verb is attested from c. 1300 as "possess as an attribute or characteristic." The meaning "sustain without sinking" is from 1520s; to bear (something) in mind is from 1530s; the meaning "tend, be directed" (in a certain way) is from c. 1600. To bear up is from 1650s as "be firm, have fortitude."
bear (n.)
"large carnivorous or omnivorous mammal of the family Ursidae," Old English bera "a bear," from Proto-Germanic *bero, literally "the brown (one)" (source also of Old Norse björn, Middle Dutch bere, Dutch beer, Old High German bero, German Bär), usually said to be from PIE root *bher- (2) "bright; brown." There was perhaps a PIE *bheros "dark animal" (compare beaver (n.1) and Greek phrynos "toad," literally "the brown animal").
Greek arktos and Latin ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko; see arctic), but it is believed to have been ritually replaced in the northern branches because of hunters' taboo on names of wild animals (compare the Irish equivalent "the good calf," Welsh "honey-pig," Lithuanian "the licker," Russian medved "honey-eater"). Others connect the Germanic word with Latin ferus "wild," as if it meant "the wild animal (par excellence) of the northern woods."
Used of rude, gruff, uncouth men since 1570s. Symbolic of Russia since 1794. The stock market meaning "speculator for a fall" is by 1709, a shortening of bearskin jobber (from the proverb sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear); i.e. "one who sells stock for future delivery, expecting that meanwhile prices will fall." Paired with bull from c. 1720. Bear claw as a type of large pastry is from 1942, originally chiefly western U.S. Bear-garden (1590s) was a place where bears were kept for the amusement of spectators.
bearable (adj.)
"endurable," mid-15c., from bear (v.) + -able. Related: Bearably.
bear-baiting (n.)
"sport of setting dogs (usually mastiffs) to fight with captive bears," late 15c., from bear (n.) + baiting. It was prohibited in Great Britain in 1835.
beard (n.)
"close growth of hair on the chin and lower face, normally characteristic of an adult male" (that of the upper lip being distinguished in Modern English as the mustache), Old English beard "beard," from Proto-Germanic *bard (source also of Old Frisian berd, Middle Dutch baert, Old High German bart, German bart), said in Pokorny to be from a PIE root *bhardhā- "beard" (source also of Old Church Slavonic brada, Russia boroda, Lithuanian barzda, Old Prussian bordus, and perhaps Latin barba "beard"), but Boutkan rejects this on phonetic grounds and suggests a non-IE substrate word. Old French berd is from Germanic.
Pubic hair sense is from 1600s (but neþir berd "pubic hair" is from late 14c.); in the 1811 "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," the phrase beard-splitter is defined as, "A man much given to wenching" (compare beaver in the slang genital sense).
beard (v.)
c. 1300, "to grow or have a beard," from beard (n.). The sense of "confront boldly and directly" is from Middle English phrases such as rennen in berd "oppose openly" (c. 1200), reproven in the berd "to rebuke directly and personally" (c. 1400), on the same notion as modern slang get in (someone's) face. Related: Bearded (Old English); bearding.
beardless (adj.)
Old English beardleas "without a beard; youthful" (of males); see beard (n.) + -less.
bearer (n.)
"one who carries or sustains" in any sense, Old English -berere (in water-berere), agent noun from bear (v.). The meaning "one who helps carry a corpse to the grave" is from 1630s. The usual Old English form was berend.
bear-hug (n.)
also bearhug, "rough, tight embrace," 1876, from bear (n.) + hug (n.).
bearish (adj.)
"grumpy, surly, uncouth," 1744, from bear (n.) + -ish. Related: Bearishly; bearishness.
Bearnaise (n.)
"egg-and-butter sauce," 1877, from French sauce béarnaise, from fem. of béarnais "of Béarn," region in southwest France (named for the Benarni, a Gaulish tribe).
bearskin (n.)
also bear-skin, "the skin of a bear," Old English berascin; see bear (n.) + skin (n.).
beast (n.)
c. 1200, beste, "one of the lower animals" (opposed to man), especially "a four-footed animal," also "a marvelous creature, a monster" (mermaids, werewolves, lamia, satyrs, the beast of the Apocalypse), "a brutish or stupid man," from Old French beste "animal, wild beast," figuratively "fool, idiot" (11c., Modern French bête), from Vulgar Latin *besta, from Latin bestia "beast, wild animal," which is of unknown origin.
The word was used in Middle English to translate Latin animal. It displaced Old English deor (see deer) as the generic word for "wild creature," only to be ousted 16c. by animal.
beastly (adj.)
c. 1200, "brutish, sensual, debased;" late 14c., "in the manner of a beast," from beast + -ly (1). It weakened in British upper crust use to "awfully, exceedingly" by mid-19c. Beastly drunk is from 1794.
beating (n.)
c. 1200, beatunge "action of inflicting blows," verbal noun from beat (v.). The meaning "pulsation" is recorded from c. 1600. The nautical sense of "sailing against the wind" is by 1883.
beat (adj.)
"defeated, overcome by effort," c. 1400, from past tense of beat (v.). The meaning "tired, exhausted by exertion," is by 1905, American English. For beat generation see beatnik.
beat (v.)
Old English beatan "inflict blows on, strike repeatedly, thrash" (class VII strong verb; past tense beot, past participle beaten), from Proto-Germanic *bautan (source also of Old Norse bauta, Old High German bozan "to beat"), from PIE root *bhau- "to strike."
Past tense form beat is from c. 1500, probably not from Old English but a shortening of Middle English beted. Of the heart, c. 1200, from notion of it striking against the breast.
The meaning "overcome in a contest" is from 1610s (hence the sense of "legally avoid, escape" in beat the charges, etc., attested from c. 1920 in underworld slang). The sense of "be too difficult for" intellectually or physically (by 1870) is behind the shrug-phrase beats me.
The meaning "strike cover to rouse or drive game" (c. 1400) is the source of beat around (or about) the bush (1570s), the metaphoric sense of which has shifted from "make preliminary motions" to "avoid, evade." The nautical sense of "make progress against the wind by means of alternate tacks" is from 1670s. Command beat it "go away" is recorded by 1906 (though "action of feet upon the ground" was a sense of Old English betan); it is attested in 1903 as newsboy slang for "travel without paying by riding on the outside of a train."
beat (n.)
c. 1300, "a beating, whipping; the beating of a drum," from beat (v.). As "throb of the heart" from 1755. The meaning "regular route travelled by someone" is attested from 1731, also "a track made by animals" (1736), from the sense of the "beat" of the feet on the ground (late Old English), or perhaps that in beat the bushes to flush game (c. 1400), or beat the bounds (1560s). It was extended to journalism by 1875.
The musical sense is by 1842, perhaps from the hand motion of the conductor and the notion of "beating the time":
Earlier in music it meant a sort of grace note:
beatable (adj.)
"that may be beaten" in any sense of the verb, 1610s, from beat (v.) + -able.
beatdown (n.)
"a thorough beating, a thrashing," by 1997 in urban slang, from verbal phrase (attested from c. 1400); see beat (v.) + down (adv.).
beaten (adj.)
"hammered, wrought upon by beating" (of metal, etc.), c. 1300, from alternative past participle of beat (v.). The meaning "defeated, vanquished" is from 1560s; that of "repeatedly struck" is from 1590s.
beater (n.)
mid-14c., "an implement for beating;" mid-15c., "a person who punishes" (c. 1200 as a surname); agent noun from beat (v.). Old English had beatere "boxer." Of various mechanical devices that "beat" in some sense from early 17c. The meaning "one who rouses game" is from 1825. The slang sense of "old car" is by c. 1980.
beatification (n.)
c. 1500, "act of rendering blessed," from French béatification, noun of action and state from past-participle stem of Late Latin beatificare "make happy" (see beatify). As a papal declaration about the status of a deceased person and entitlement of public religious honor, it dates from c. 1600.
beatific (adj.)
"blissful, imparting bliss," 1630s, from French béatifique or directly from Late Latin beatificus, from Latin beatus "blessed, happy," past participle of beare "make happy, bless" (see Beatrice) + -ficus "making doing," from combining form of facere "to do, to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Related: Beatifical (c. 1600); beatifically.
beatify (v.)
1530s, "to make very happy," from French béatifer, from Late Latin beatificare "make happy, make blessed," from Latin beatus "supremely happy, blessed" (past participle of beare "make happy, bless;" see Beatrice) + -ficare, combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). The Catholic Church sense of "to pronounce as being in heavenly bliss" (1620s) is the first step toward canonization. Related: Beatified; beatifying.
beatitude (n.)
early 15c., "supreme happiness," from Old French béatitude (15c.) and directly from Latin beatitudinem (nominative beatitudo) "state of blessedness," noun of state from past-participle stem of beare "make happy" (see Beatrice). Attested from 1520s as "a declaration of blessedness," usually plural, beatitudes, especially in reference to the Sermon on the Mount.
Beatles (n.)
seminal rock and pop group formed in Liverpool, England; named as such 1960 (after a succession of other names), supposedly by then-bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, from beetles (on model of Buddy Holly's band The Crickets) with a pun on the musical sense of beat. Their global popularity dates to 1963.
Beatlemania (n.)
beatnik (n.)
coined 1958 by San Francisco newspaper columnist Herb Caen (1916-1997) during the heyday of -nik suffixes in the wake of Sputnik. The first element is from Beat generation (1952), which is associated with beat (n.) in its meaning "rhythm (especially in jazz)" as well as beat (adj.) "worn out, exhausted." Century Dictionary (1902) has slang beat (n.) "a worthless, dishonest, shiftless fellow." Originator Jack Kerouac in 1958 connected it with beatitude.
beat off (v.)
"drive (something) away by violent blows," 1640s, from beat (v.) + off (adv.). The meaning "masturbate" is recorded by 1960s.
Beatrice
fem. proper name, from French Béatrice, from Latin beatrix, fem. of beatricem "who makes happy," from beatus "happy, blessed," past participle of beare "make happy, bless," which is possibly from PIE *dweye-, suffixed form of root *deu- (2) "to do, perform; show favor, revere." De Vaan finds the connection "semantically attractive, but the morphology is unclear."
beat up (v.)
"thrash, strike repeatedly," c. 1900 (v.), from beat (v.) + up (adv.). Earlier it meant "summon (recruits, etc.) by the beating of a drum" (1690s). Beat-up as an adjectival phrase meaning "worn-out, used hard" dates to 1946.
beau (n.)
"attendant suitor of a lady," 1720, from French beau "the beautiful," noun use of an adjective, from Old French bel "beautiful, handsome, fair, genuine, real" (11c.), from Latin bellus "handsome, fine, pretty, agreeable" (see belle). The meaning "man who attends excessively to dress, etiquette, etc.; a fop; a dandy" is from 1680s, short for French beau garçon "pretty boy" (1660s). Plural is beaus or beaux. Beau Brummel, arbiter of men's fashion in Regency London, was George B. Brummel, gentleman (1778-1840).
beaucoup
French, literally "a great heap" (13c.), from beau "fine, great" (see beau (n.)) + coup "a stroke," also "a throw," hence, "a heap" (see coup (n.)). Compare Spanish golpe "multitude," also "a punch, hit," from the same Latin source.
Beaufort scale
measurement scale for wind velocity, developed 1806 by Francis Beaufort, Irish-born surveyor and hydrologist.
beau-ideal (n.)
"beautifulness or excellence as an abstract ideal," 1801, from French beau idéal "the ideal beauty, ideal excellence," in which beau is the subject, but as English word-order usually has the adjective first, the sense has shifted in English toward "perfect type or model." Compare beau + ideal.
Beaujolais (n.)
type of Burgundy, 1863, from name of a district in the department of Lyonnais, France, which is named for the town of Beaujeu, from French beau "beautiful" + second element from Latin jugum "hill."
beau-monde (n.)
also beau monde, "the fashionable world," 1714, French, from beau (see beau) + monde, from Latin mundus "world" (see mundane).
beaut (n.)
1866, abbreviated form of beauty in the sense of "a beautiful thing or person."
beauteous (adj.)
"having beauty, pleasing to the senses," mid-15c., beauteous, also beutevous, from beauty + -ous. In modern use the word is mostly limited to poetry, elsewhere displaced by beautiful. Related: Beauteously; beauteousness.
beauty (n.)
early 14c., bealte, "physical attractiveness," also "goodness, courtesy," from Anglo-French beute, Old French biauté "beauty, seductiveness, beautiful person" (12c., Modern French beauté), earlier beltet, from Vulgar Latin *bellitatem (nominative bellitas) "state of being pleasing to the senses" (source also of Spanish beldad, Italian belta), from Latin bellus "pretty, handsome, charming," in classical Latin used especially of women and children, or ironically or insultingly of men, perhaps (Watkins) from PIE *dw-en-elo-, diminutive of root *deu- (2) "to do, perform; show favor, revere." Famously defined by Stendhal as la promesse de bonheur "the promise of happiness."
Replaced Old English wlite. The concrete meaning "a beautiful woman" in English is recorded from late 14c. Beauty-sleep "sleep before midnight" (popularly regarded as the most refreshing) is attested by 1850. Beauty-spot "dark spot placed on the face formerly by women to heighten beauty" is from 1650s. Beauty-contest is from 1885; beauty-queen is from 1922 (earlier it was a show-name of cattle and hogs). Beauté du diable (literally "devil's beauty") is used as a French phrase in English from 1825.
beautiful (adj.)
mid-15c., "pleasing to the eye (or ear) or mind or soul," from beauty + -ful. The beautiful people "the fashionable set" is attested by 1964 in "Vogue" magazine (it also was the title of a 1941 play by U.S. dramatist William Saroyan). As a noun, "that which possesses beauty," from 1756. House Beautiful is from "Pilgrim's Progress," where it is a proper name of a place. Related: Beautifully.
beautician (n.)
by 1924, American English (Mencken found it in the Cleveland, Ohio, telephone directory), from beauty + ending as in technician. Beauty salon is from 1912, a substitution for prosaic beauty shop (1898). Beauty parlor is from 1894.
beautification (n.)
"act of making beautiful," 1630s, from beauty + -fication "a making or causing."
beautify (v.)
mid-15c., "to make beautiful," from beauty + -fy. Intransitive sense, "to become beautiful," is recorded from 1590s but is rare. Related: Beautified; beautifying.
beaux arts (n.)
"the fine arts," 1821, from French; also in reference to Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and the widely imitated conventional type of art and architecture advocated there.
beaver (n.1)
"large amphibious quadruped rodent of the genus Castor," Old English beofor, befer (earlier bebr), from Proto-Germanic *bebruz (source also of Old Saxon bibar, Old Norse bjorr, Middle Dutch and Dutch bever, Low German bever, Old High German bibar, German Biber), from PIE *bhebhrus, reduplication of root *bher- (2) "bright; brown" (source also of Lithuanian bebrus, Czech bobr, Welsh befer). See bear (n.) for the proposed reason for this.
The animal formerly was valued and hunted for its secretions (see castor) and for its fur, which was used in the manufacture of hats, so much so that beaver could mean "hat" from 1520s and continued so into 19c. even after hats began to be made of silk or other material. They were hunted to extinction in Great Britain in the 16th century but have lately been reintroduced.
beaver (n.2)
"lower face-guard of a helmet," early 15c., from Old French baviere, originally "child's bib," from bave "saliva."
beaver (n.3)
"female genitals, especially with a display of pubic hair," by 1927, British slang, ultimately from beaver (n.1), perhaps transferred from earlier meaning "a bearded man" (1910), or directly from the appearance of split beaver pelts.
bebop (n.)
1944, from bebop, rebop, bop, nonsense words in jazz lyrics, attested from at least 1928. The style is associated with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
becalm (v.)
1550s in the nautical use, "deprive a ship of wind," from be- + calm. The meaning "make calm or still" is from 1610s. Related: Becalmed; becalming.
became
past tense of become (q.v.).
because (conj.)
late 14c., from phrase bi cause, introducing a subordinate clause or phrase, "by cause, for the reason that," from by (prep.) + cause (n.). Modeled on French par cause. Originally often followed by that or why. As an adverb, "by reason, on account" (with of), from late 14c. Clipped form cause (sometimes 'cause) is attested in writing by mid-15c.
bechamel (n.)
white sauce used in cookery, 1769, from French béchamel, named for Louis XIV's steward, Louis de Béchamel, marquis de Nointel (1630-1703), who perfected it. Gamillscheg identifies him as a great gourmet of the time ("eines bekannten Feinschmeckers des 17. Jhdts.").
bechance (v.)
"to happen, chance," 1520s, from be- + chance (v.). Related: Bechanced; bechancing.
beche-de-mer (n.)
sea-slug eaten as a delicacy in the Western Pacific, 1814, from French bêche-de-mer, literally "spade of the sea," a folk-etymology alteration of Portuguese bicho do mar "sea-slug," literally "worm of the sea."
beck (n.)
late 14c., "nod or other mute signal intended to express desire or command," a noun use from Middle English bekken (v.), variant of becnan "to beckon" (see beckon). The transferred sense of "slightest indication of will" is from late 15c.
beck (v.)
"to signal by a nod or gesture," c. 1300, shortening of beckon. (v.).
beckon (v.)
Middle English bekenen, from Old English gebecnian (West Saxon beacnian) "to make a mute sign, signal by a nod or gesture," from Proto-Germanic *bauknjan (source also of Old Saxon boknian, Old High German bouhnen), from PIE root *bha- (1) "to shine" (compare beacon). Related: Beckoned; beckoning. The noun is attested from 1718, from the verb.
becloud (v.)
1590s, "cover with clouds," from be- + cloud. The figurative sense of "to obscure" is recorded from 1610s. Related: Beclouded; beclouding.
becoming (adj.)
"looking well, aesthetically befitting," 1560s, from the earlier sense of "fitting, proper" (early 13c.), present-participle adjective from become. Related: Becomingly; becomingness.
become (v.)
Middle English bicomen, from Old English becuman "happen, come about, befall," also "meet with, fall in with; arrive, approach, enter," from Proto-Germanic *bikweman (source also of Dutch bekomen, Old High German biqueman "obtain," German bekommen, Gothic biquiman). A compound of the sources of be- and come (v.).
It drove out Old English weorðan "to befall." The older sense is preserved in what has become of it? The meaning "change from one state of existence to another" is from 12c. The meaning "to look well, suit or be suitable to" is by early 14c., from the earlier sense of "to agree with, be fitting or proper" (early 13c.).
bedding (n.)
late Old English beddinge "materials of a bed, bed covering," from bed (n.). The meaning "bottom layer of anything" is from c. 1400.
bed (n.)
Old English bedd "bed, couch, resting place; garden plot," from Proto-Germanic *badja- (source also of Old Frisian, Old Saxon bed, Middle Dutch bedde, Old Norse beðr, Old High German betti, German Bett, Gothic badi "bed"). This is said to mean perhaps "sleeping place dug in the ground," if it is from PIE root *bhedh- "to dig, pierce" (source also of Hittite beda- "to pierce, prick," Greek bothyros "pit," Latin fossa "ditch," Lithuanian bedu, besti "to dig," Breton bez "grave"). But Boutkan doubts this and finds little reason to assume that Germanic peoples "(still) lived under such primitive circumstances that they dug out their places to sleep."
Both the sleeping and gardening senses are found in Old English; the specific application to planting also is found also in Middle High German and is the only sense of Danish bed. The meaning "bottom of a lake, sea, or watercourse" is from 1580s. The geological sense of "a thick layer, stratum" is from 1680s.
Bed and board "in bed and at the table" (early 13c.) was a term in old law applied to conjugal duties of man and wife; it also could mean "meals and lodging, room and board" (mid-15c.). Bed-and-breakfast in reference to overnight accommodations is from 1838; as a noun, in reference to a place offering such, by 1967.
bed (v.)
Old English beddian "to provide with a bed or lodgings," from bed (n.). From c. 1300 as "to go to bed," also "to copulate with, to go to bed with;" 1440 as "to lay out (land) in plots or beds." Related: Bedded; bedding.
bedaub (v.)
"besmear, soil," 1550s, from be- + daub (v.). Related: Bedaubed; bedaubing.
bedazzle (v.)
"to blind by excess of light," 1590s, from be- + dazzle (v.). Also figurative. Related: Bedazzled; bedazzling.
bed-board (n.)
also bedboard, "head- or foot-board of a bed," early 15c., from bed (n.) + board (n.1).
bedbug (n.)
also bed-bug, "blood-sucking insect that infests beds and bedding," 1772, from bed (n.) + bug (n.).
bedchamber (n.)
also bed-chamber, "a room for sleep or repose," mid-14c., from bed (n.) + chamber (n.). Now mostly archaic and replaced by bedroom.
bed-clothes (n.)
also bedclothes, "coverings used on beds, such as sheets, blankets, quilts, etc.," late 14c., from bed (n.) + clothes. Old English had beddclað.
beddable (adj.)
"sexually attractive," 1941, from bed (v.) in the "have sex with" sense + -able.
bedeck (v.)
"to adorn," 1560s, from be- + deck (v.). Related: Bedecked; bedecking.
bedevil (v.)
1768, "to treat diabolically, abuse," from be- + verbal use of devil (q.v.). The meaning "mischievously confuse" is from 1755; that of "drive frantic" is from 1823. Related: Bedeviled (1570s in a literal sense, "possessed"); bedeviling.
bedevilment (n.)
"state of bewildering or vexatious disorder or confusion, "1825, from bedevil + -ment.
bedfast (adj.)
"bedridden," 1630s, from bed (n.) + fast (adj.).
bedfellow (n.)
"close friend, roommate, one who shares a bed with another," mid-15c., from bed (n.) + fellow (n.). Also (late 15c) "concubine." Earlier in the "close companion" sense was bed-fere (early 14c.). Old English had simply bedda. Bedsister "husband's concubine" is recorded in Middle English (c. 1300).
bedight (v.)
"equip, furnish" (archaic), c. 1400, from be- + dight (q.v.). Related: Bedighted; bedighting.
bedim (v.)
"make dim, obscure, darken," 1560s, from be- + dim. Related: Bedimmed; bedimming.
bedizen (v.)
"deck, dress up" (especially with tawdry or vulgar finery), 1660s, from be- + dizen "to dress" (1610s), especially, from late 18c., "to dress finely, adorn," originally "to dress (a distaff) for spinning" (1520s), and evidently the verbal form of the first element in distaff.
bedlam (n.)
"scene of mad confusion," 1660s, from colloquial pronunciation of Bethlehem, short for "Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem" in London, which was founded 1247 as a priory, mentioned as a hospital by 1330 and as a lunatic hospital by 1402. It was converted to a civic lunatic asylum on dissolution of the monasteries in 1547.
It was spelled Bedlem in a will from 1418, and Betleem is recorded as a spelling of Bethlehem in Judea from 971. The proper name might be caught in transition in the title of John Davies' 1617 publication of humorous poetry, "Wits bedlam —where is had, whipping-cheer, to cure the mad."
Bedlamite (n.)
"insane person," 1620s, from bedlam (q.v.) + -ite (1).
Bedouin (n.)
"an Arab of the desert, one of the tribes of nomadic Arabs," c. 1400, from Old French bedüin (12c., Modern French bédouin), from colloquial Arabic badawin "desert-dwellers," plural of badawi, from badw "desert, camp." The Arabic plural suffix was mistaken for part of the word. A word from the Crusades, it probably was lost in English and then reborrowed from French c. 1600. As an adjective from 1844.
bedpan (n.)
also bed-pan, 1580s, "pan for warming beds," from bed (n.) + pan (n.). From 1670s as a utensil for bodily functions of persons confined in bed.