Etymology dictionary
beige (n.) — benediction (n.)
beige (n.)
1858, "fine woolen fabric," from dialectal French beige "yellowish-gray, brownish-gray," from Old French bege "the natural color of wool and cotton; raw, not dyed" (13c.), of obscure origin. According to Gamillscheg, the French word was especially associated with the Burgundy and Franche-Comté regions. As a shade of color, it is attested in English from 1891. As an adjective, "having the natural color of undyed wool," by 1875.
beignet (n.)
"fritter," 1827, from French beignet "fritter, egg-roll, doughnut" (14c.), from Old French buigne "bump, lump," from Frankish or some other Germanic source (compare Middle High German bunge "clod, lump"), or from Gaulish *bunia (compare Gaelic bonnach).
Beijing
Chinese capital, from bei "north" + jing "capital" (as opposed to Nanking, literally "southern capital").
be-in (n.)
"a public gathering of hippies" [OED], 1967, from be + in (adv.).
beingness (n.)
"quality, state, or condition of having existence," 1660s, from being + -ness.
Beirut
Lebanese capital, from Hebrew, literally "the wells," from be'erot, plural of be'er "well."
bejesus (interj.)
mild expletive, 1908, probably from by Jesus. Compare bejabbers (by 1821 in representations of Irish dialect), from the same source. To beat the bejesus out of someone is a transferred sense from 1934.
bejewel (v.)
"provide or adorn with jewels," 1550s, from be- + jewel. Related: Bejeweled.
beknow (v.)
c. 1300, "to become acquainted with; to be aware or conscious of" (obsolete), from Old English becnawan "to know," or a Middle English formation from be- + know (v.). Related: Beknown; beknowing.
Bel
also in Latin form Belus, heaven-and-earth god of Babylonian religion, from Akkadian Belu, literally "lord, owner, master," cognate with Hebrew ba'al (see Baal).
bel (adj.)
"beautiful," early 14c., from Old French bel, belle "beautiful, fair, fine," from Latin bellus "fair, fine, beautiful" (see belle). "Naturalized in ME.; but after 1600 consciously French" [OED].
bel (n.)
unit of power level in measuring sound, 1929, named for Scottish-born telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922).
belabor (v.)
1590s, "to exert one's strength upon" (obsolete), from be- + labor (v.). But the figurative sense of "assail with words" is attested somewhat earlier (1590s); and belabored is attested from mid-15c. with a sense of "tilled, cultivated." Related: Belaboring.
belabour (v.)
chiefly British English spelling of belabor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or. Related: Belaboured; belabouring.
belay (v.)
"to secure or fasten," from Old English belecgan, which, among other senses ("cover, invest, surround; afflict; accuse"), meant "to lay a thing about" (with other objects), from be- + lecgan "to lay" (from PIE root *legh- "to lie down, lay"). The only surviving sense is the nautical one of "coil a running rope round a cleat or pin to secure it" (also transferred to mountain-climbing), attested by 1540s; but this is possibly from Dutch cognate beleggen. Related: Belayed; belaying.
belated (adj.)
1610s, "overtaken by night" due to staying too late or being delayed, past-participle adjective from belate "to make late, detain," from be- + late. Sense of "coming past due, behind date" is from 1660s. Related: Belatedly; belatedness.
bel canto
1894, Italian, literally "fine song." See belle + chant.
belch (v.)
Middle English bolken, from Old English bealcan "bring up wind from the stomach," also "swell, heave," of echoic origin (compare Dutch balken "to bray, shout"). It was extended to volcanoes, cannons, etc. 1570s. Related: Belched; belching. As a noun, "an act of belching," it is recorded from 1510s; also slang for "poor beer, malt liquor" (1706).
beldam (n.)
also beldame, "aged woman," 1570s; earlier "grandmother" (mid-15c.), from dame (q.v.) in the sense of "mother" + bel-, Middle English prefix expressing relationship (as in belfader, belsire "grandfather"), from Old French bel, belle "beautiful, fair, fine" (see belle). This "direct relationship" sense of bel is not found in French, where the prefix, however, is used to form words for in-laws.
beleaguer (v.)
1580s, "besiege, surround, blockade," literal and figurative, from Dutch or Low German belegeren "to besiege," from be- "around" (from Proto-Germanic *bi- "around, about;" see by) + legeren "to camp," from leger "bed, camp, army, lair," from Proto-Germanic *legraz- (from PIE *legh-ro-, suffixed form of root *legh- "to lie down, lay"). A word from the Flemish Wars (cognates: Swedish belägra, Dutch belegeren "besiege," German Belagerung "siege"). The spelling influenced by unrelated league. Related: Beleaguered; beleaguering.
beleave (v.)
Old English belæfan, "to cause or allow to remain behind, to leave something behind," a general Germanic compound (compare Gothic bilaibjan) from be- + Old English læfan "to leave" (see leave (v.)). Obsolete from 17c. In Middle English sometimes contracted to bleve. For further development, see belive.
belemnite (n.)
type of fossil common in Jurassic sediments, the remains of an extinct squid-like animal, 1640s, from Greek belemnon "dart" (from ballein "to throw, to throw so as to hit," from PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach") + -ite (1). So called for their shape.
belfry (n.)
c. 1400, "wooden siege tower on wheels" (late 13c. in Anglo-Latin with a sense "bell tower"), from Old North French berfroi "movable siege tower" (Modern French beffroi), from Middle High German bercfrit "protecting shelter," from Proto-Germanic compound *berg-frithu, literally "high place of security," or that which watches over peace." From bergen "to protect" (from PIE root *bhergh- (1) "to hide, protect") or [Watkins] *bergaz "mountain, high place" (from PIE root *bhergh- (2) "high," with derivatives referring to hills and hill-forts) + *frithu- "peace; personal security" (see affray).
The etymological meaning was forgotten, which led to folk-etymologies and a great diversity of spellings. It came to be used for bell towers (mid-15c.), which at first often were detached from church buildings (as the "Leaning Tower" of Pisa and the Campanile on Plaza San Marco in Venice), and the spelling was altered by dissimilation or by association with bell (n.).
Belgian (adj.)
1620s, in reference to the ancient Belgæ (see Belgium). The modern country was formed 1830-31. Belgian Congo was formed 1908 by annexation.
Belgic (adj.)
1580s, "of or pertaining to the ancient Belgae," from Latin Belgicus, from Belgae (see Belgium).
Belgium
c. 1600, "Low Germany and the Netherlands," from the Latin name of the territory occupied by the Belgæ, a Celtic or Celto-Germanic tribe that in Roman times occupied the area below the mouth of the Rhine, including modern Belgium and much of northeastern France. Adopted 1830 as the name of a new nation formed from the southern part of the former United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Belgravia
fashionable residential district of London, noted for the wealthiness and aristocracy of its residents, it was developed in the 1820s and after on land owned by Earl Grosvenor and named (with -ia) for Belgrave, site of a Grosvenor estate in Cheshire.
belie (v.)
Middle English bilien, "tell a lie about, accuse falsely, slander," from Old English beleogan "to deceive by lies," from be- + lie (v.1) "to lie, tell lies." The sense of "to contradict as a lie, give the lie to, show to be false" is attested by 1640s.
The other verb lie once also had an identical variant form, from Old English belicgan, which meant "to encompass, beleaguer," and in Middle English (bilien) was a euphemism for "to have sex with" (i.e. "to lie with carnally").
Belial
early 13c., from Late Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew bel'yya'al "destruction," literally "worthless," from b'li "without" + ya'al "use." Wickedness as an evil force (Deuteronomy xiii.13); later treated as a proper name of Satan (2 Corinthians vi.15), though Milton made him one of the fallen angels.
belief (n.)
late 12c., bileave, "confidence reposed in a person or thing; faith in a religion," replacing Old English geleafa "belief, faith," from West Germanic *ga-laubon "to hold dear, esteem, trust" (source also of Old Saxon gilobo, Middle Dutch gelove, Old High German giloubo, German Glaube), from *galaub- "dear, esteemed," from intensive prefix *ga- + PIE root *leubh- "to care, desire, love." The prefix in English was altered on analogy of the verb believe. The distinction of the final consonant from that of believe developed 15c.
The meaning "conviction of the truth of a proposition or alleged fact without knowledge" is by 1530s; it is also "sometimes used to include the absolute conviction or certainty which accompanies knowledge" [Century Dictionary]. From c. 1200 as "a creed, essential doctrines of a religion or church, things held to be true as a matter of religious doctrine;" the general sense of "that which is believed" is by 1714. Related: Beliefs.
Belief meant "trust in God," while faith meant "loyalty to a person based on promise or duty" (a sense preserved in keep one's faith, in good (or bad) faith, and in common usage of faithful, faithless, which contain no notion of divinity). But faith, as cognate of Latin fides, took on the religious sense beginning in 14c. translations, and belief had by 16c. become limited to "mental acceptance of something as true," from the religious use in the sense of "things held to be true as a matter of religious doctrine."
believable (adj.)
"credible, capable of being believed," late 14c., from believe + -able. Related: Believably.
believer (n.)
1540s, "one who has faith in religion," agent noun from believe. From c. 1600 as "one who gives credence (to anything) without personal knowledge, one firmly persuaded of the truth of something."
believability (n.)
"credibility, capability of being believed," 1865; see believable + -ity.
believe (v.)
Middle English bileven, from Old English belyfan "to have faith or confidence" (in a person), earlier geleafa (Mercian), gelefa (Northumbrian), gelyfan (West Saxon), from Proto-Germanic *ga-laubjan "to believe," perhaps literally "hold dear (or valuable, or satisfactory), to love" (source also of Old Saxon gilobian "believe," Dutch geloven, Old High German gilouben, German glauben), ultimately a compound based on PIE root *leubh- "to care, desire, love" (see belief).
The meaning "be persuaded of the truth of" (a doctrine, system, religion, etc.) is from mid-13c.; the meaning "credit upon the grounds of authority or testimony without complete demonstration, accept as true" is from early 14c. The general sense of "be of the opinion, think" is from c. 1300. Related: Believed (formerly occasionally beleft); believing.
The form beleeve was common till 17c., the spelling then changed, perhaps by influence of relieve, etc. To believe on instead of in was more common in 16c. but now is a peculiarity of theology; believe of also sometimes was used in 17c. The expression believe it or not is attested by 1874; Robert Ripley's newspaper cartoon of the same name is from 1918. Emphatic you better believe attested from 1854.
belittle (v.)
1781, "to make small, reduce in proportion," from be- + little (v.); first recorded in writings of Thomas Jefferson (and probably coined by him), Jefferson used it in "Notes on the State of Virginia" to characterize the view promoted as scientific by French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon that American species (including humans) were naturally smaller than and inferior to European ones, which Jefferson was at pains to refute. ("So far the Count de Buffon has carried this new theory of the tendency of nature to belittle her productions on this side of the Atlantic.") The word was roundly execrated in England, as be- is properly to be used only with verbs:
Jefferson also sent Buffon a stuffed moose. The figurative sense of "depreciate, scorn as worthless" (as the reviewers did to this word) is from 1797 and is now almost the only sense. Related: Belittled; belittling.
belive (v.)
obsolete verb, Middle English biliven, "remain in a place; be left over," from Old English belifan "remain," intransitive form of belæfan "cause to remain" (see beleave). A general Germanic compound (cognates: Old Saxon bilibhon, Gothic bileiban, Old High German biliban, German bleiben, Dutch blijven).
It was confused in early Middle English with beleave and merged into it, which gave beleave two clashing senses ("to leave," also "to remain") which might be why the compound word, the cognate of important verbs in other Germanic languages, was abandoned in English and only leave (v.) remains.
bell (v.)
"attach a bell to," late 14c., from bell (n.). Related: Belled; belling. Allusions to the story of the mice that undertook to bell the cat (the better to hear it coming) date to late 14c.
bell (n.)
"hollow metallic instrument which rings when struck," Old English belle, which has cognates in Middle Dutch belle, Middle Low German belle but is not found elsewhere in Germanic (except as a borrowing); perhaps from an imitative PIE root *bhel- "to sound, roar" (compare Old English bellan "to roar," and see bellow).
As a division of daily time aboard a ship, by 1804, from its being marked by bells struck every half hour. The statistical bell curve is by 1920, said to have been coined 1870s in French. Of glasses in the shape of a bell from 1640s. Bell pepper is from 1707, also so called for its shape. Bell, book, and candle is a reference to a form of excommunication (the bells were rung out of order and all together to signify the loss of grace and order in the soul of the excommunicated).
To ring a bell "awaken a memory" (1934) is perhaps a reference to Pavlovian experiments; it also was a signal to summon a servant (1782).
belle (n.)
"beautiful woman well-dressed; reigning beauty," 1620s, from French belle, from Old French bele, from Latin bella, fem. of bellus "beautiful, fair," from PIE *dwenelo-, diminutive form of root *deu- (2) "to do, perform; show favor, revere." Related to bonus "good" (see bonus). "The dim. meaning is the reason why bellus was originally used to refer to women and children; it was applied to men only ironically" [de Vaan, who adds that "The PIE etymology is disputed"].
Bella
fem. proper name, from Italian bella "fair," from Latin bella, fem. of bellus "beautiful, fair" (see belle). In some cases short for Isabella (see Isabel).
belladonna (n.)
1590s, "deadly nightshade" (Atropa belladonna), in Gerard's herbal. From Italian, literally "fair lady" (see belle + Donna) which name is first recorded in the works of Andrea Matthioli (1501 - ca. 1577) as herba bella donna.
Common explanations are that the plant is so called because women made cosmetic eye-drops from its juice (a mid-18c. explanation; atropic acid, found in the plant, has a well-known property of dilating the pupils) or because it was used to poison beautiful women (a mid-19c. explanation).
It is more likely to be a folk etymology for one or more plants in the nightshade family, written variously in Latin as besulidus, belbulidus, belulidus, or belhulidus. Luigi Anguillara (ca. 1517 - 1570) also gives the Italian name biasola to the same plant described by Matthioli.
The term belladonna was picked up by John Gerard (ca. 1545 - 1612) who most likely acquired it from reading Matthioli. This word largely displaced the native English names for the plant, dwale (Old English dwola, see dull) and morelle (Old French morele, from Latin morella "black nightshade.") See also nightshade.
Bellatrix
bright star in the left shoulder of Orion, from Latin bellatrix "female warrior," frequently used as an adjective, "warlike, skilled in war," fem. of bellator "to wage war," from bellum "war" (see bellicose). The Latin name, from the Alfonsine Tables (mid-13c.), very loosely translates the Arabic name for the star, Al Najid "the conqueror."
bell-boy (n.)
also bellboy, from bell (n.) + boy; originally (1851) a ship's bell-ringer, later (1861) a hotel page.
bell-bottoms (n.)
type of trousers, 1882, from bell (n.) + bottom (n.). Distinguished in the late 1960s from flares by the shape of the expanded part (flares straight, bell-bottoms of inverted cup-shape, like a bell).
Bellerophon
local hero of Corinth, who slew the Chimera, from Latin form of Greek Bellerophontēs, probably literally "killer of (the demon) Bellerus," with -phontes "killer of."
belles-lettres (n.)
"elegant literature, literature as fine art," 1710, French, literally "fine letters," from belles, plural of belle, fem. of beau "fine, beautiful" (see beau) + lettres, plural of lettre "letter" (see letter (n.)). The literary equivalent of beaux arts; its boundaries never have been exact, and it is "now generally applied (when used at all) to the lighter branches of literature, or the æsthetics of literary study" [OED].
belletrist (n.)
also bellettrist, 1816, an awkward contraction of belles-lettres + -ist. Adjective belletristic is recorded from 1821.
bellhop (n.)
also bell-hop, "attendant in a hotel who carries guests' luggage and performs other services," by 1906, American English, shortening of slang bellhopper (1899), from bell (n.) + hop (v.). The notion is one who "hops" into action when the bell is rung.
bellied (adj.)
having a swelling or hollow middle, late 15c., from belly (n.). From 1590s as "puffed out." Also, since 16c., in compounds, "having a belly" of a specified kind.
belly (n.)
a general Germanic word for "leather bag, pouch, pod" that in English has evolved to mean a part of the body; Middle English beli, from from Old English belg, bylig (West Saxon), bælg (Anglian) "leather bag, purse, pouch, pod, husk, bellows," from Proto-Germanic *balgiz "bag" (source also of Old Norse belgr "bag, bellows," bylgja "billow," Gothic balgs "wine-skin"), from PIE *bhelgh- "to swell," extended form of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell."
By c. 1200 it was being used for "the stomach," especially as a symbol of gluttony, and by late 14c. to mean "abdomen of a human or animal, front part of the body between the breast and the groin or the diaphragm and the pelvis."
The Old English word for "belly, stomach" was buc (cognate with German Bauch, Dutch buik, Old Frisian buk, from West Germanic *būkaz, a word indicative of swelling, with no known connections).
The plural of Old English belg emerged in Middle English as a separate word, bellows. The meaning "bulging part or convex surface of anything" is 1590s. The West Germanic root had a figurative or extended sense of "anger, arrogance" (as in Old English bolgenmod "enraged;" belgan (v.) "to become angry"), probably from the notion of "swelling."
Indo-European languages commonly use the same word for both the external belly and the internal (stomach, womb, etc.), but the distinction of external and internal is somewhat present in English belly/stomach; Greek gastr- (see gastric) in classical language denoted the paunch or belly, while modern science uses it only in reference to the stomach as an organ.
As a personal name from 12c. Belly-naked in Middle English was "stripped to the belly, completely naked." Fastidious avoidance of belly in speech and writing (compensated for by stretching the senses of imported stomach and abdomen, baby-talk tummy and misappropriated midriff) began late 18c. and the word was banished from Bibles in many early 19c. editions.
belly (v.)
c. 1600 "cause to swell out;" 1620s, "to swell out" (intrans.), from belly (n.). Related: Bellied; bellying. Old English belgan meant "to be or become angry" (a figurative sense). A comparable Greek verb-from-noun, gastrizein, meant "to hit (someone) in the belly."
bellicose (adj.)
early 15c., "inclined to fighting," from Latin bellicosus "warlike, valorous, given to fighting," from bellicus "of war," from bellum "war" (Old Latin duellum, dvellum), which is of uncertain origin.
bellicosity (n.)
"state of being warlike or pugnacious," 1840, from bellicose + -ity.
belligerent (adj.)
1570s, "waging war, engaged in hostilities," from Latin belligerantem (nominative belligerans), past participle of belligerare "to wage war," from bellum "war" (see bellicose) + gerere "to bear, to carry" (see gest). The noun meaning "party or nation at war" is from 1811. Related: Belligerently.
belligerence (n.)
"warlike nature or actions," 1804; see belligerent + -ence. Related: belligerency. Middle English had belligeration "warfare."
bell-jar (n.)
"bell-shaped glass jar," 1830, from bell (n.) + jar (n.). Especially one used by chemists. Earlier was bell-glass (1680s).
bell-metal (n.)
"alloy used in making cast bells," 1540s, from bell (n.) + metal (n.). Typically copper and tin, with a higher proportion of tin than usual in bronze.
Bellona
Roman goddess of war, from Latin bellum "war" (Old Latin duellum, dvellum), which is of uncertain origin (see bellicose). Her temple stood outside the walls.
bellow (v.)
early 14c., apparently from Old English bylgan "to bellow," from an imitative PIE root *bhel- "to sound, roar." Originally of animals, especially cows and bulls; used of human beings since c. 1600. Related: Bellowed; bellowing. As a noun, "a loud, deep cry," from 1763.
bellowing (n.)
late 14c., verbal noun from bellow (v.). As a present-participle adjective, recorded from 1610s.
bellows (n.)
"instrument for producing a current of air," especially for a fire, c. 1200, belwes, literally "bags," plural of belu, belw, northern form of beli, from late Old English belg "pair of bellows; bag, purse, leathern bottle," from PIE *bhelgh- "to swell," extended form of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell."
Essentially the same word as belly (n.) and retaining its original sense. It is attested earlier in the specific term blæstbælg, literally "blowing bag," and the modern word perhaps is a reduction of this (compare Old Norse blastrbelgr, German Blasebalg). Used exclusively in plural since 15c., probably due to the two handles or halves.
bellwether (n.)
also bell-wether, "lead sheep (on whose neck a bell was hung) of a domesticated flock," mid-14c. (late 13c. in Anglo-Latin; late 12c. as a surname), from bell (n.) + wether. The figurative sense of "chief, leader" is attested from mid-14c.
bellyful (n.)
figuratively, "enough and more," 1530s, from belly (n.) + -ful. Older than the literal sense (1570s).
belly-ache (n.)
also bellyache, 1590s, "pain in the bowels," from belly (n.) + ache (n.). The verb in the slang sense of "complain" is recorded by 1888, American English; it appears not to have been used earlier than that, if ever, in a literal sense. Related: bellyached; bellyaching.
belly-button (n.)
also bellybutton, "navel," 1877, colloquial, from belly (n.) + button (n.).
belly-dance (n.)
also bellydance, 1883, in a British account of travels in Persia, from belly (n.) + dance (n.). In early use sometimes referred to by the French danse du ventre, which is attested by 1872 in French accounts from the Middle East. It appears as a French term in English by 1883, and its use got a boost from the performances of it at the Paris Exposition of 1889.
The English noun is perhaps a direct translation of the French. As a verb from 1963. Related: Belly-dancer (1922); belly-dancing (n.), 1921.
belly-punch (n.)
also bellypunch, "fist-blow to the stomach," 1811, from belly (n.) + punch (n.3).
belong (v.)
mid-14c., "to go along with, properly relate to," from be- intensive prefix, + longen "to go," from Old English langian "pertain to, to go along with," which is of uncertain origin but perhaps related to the root of long (adj.). The senses of "be the property of" and "be a member of" are attested from late 14c. Cognate with Middle Dutch belanghen, Dutch belangen, German belangen. It displaced earlier Old English gelang, with completive prefix ge-.
belongings (n.)
"goods, effects, possessions," 1817, from plural of verbal noun from belong.
beloved (adj.)
"greatly loved, dear to the heart," late 14c., past-participle adjective from obsolete verb belove "to please; be pleased with" (c. 1200), from be- + loven "to love" (see love (v.)). The noun meaning "one who is beloved" is attested from 1520s, first in Biblical language.
below (adv.)
"in a lower position," early 14c., biloogh, from be- "by, about" + logh, lou, lowe "low" (see low (adj.)). Apparently a variant of earlier a-lowe (influenced by other adverbs in be-; see before), the parallel form to an-high (now on high).
Beneath was the usual word; below was very rare in Middle English and gained currency only in 16c. It is frequent in Shakespeare. As a preposition it is attested from 1570s. In nautical use, "off-duty," in contradistinction to "on deck." The meaning "inferior in rank or dignity" is from c. 1600. According to Fowler, below is the opposite of above and concerns difference of level and suggests comparison of independent things. Under is the opposite of over and is concerned with superposition and subjection and suggests some interrelation.
bel paese (n.)
proprietary name of a type of mild, creamy cheese, 1935, Italian literally "beautiful country or region." See belle + paesan.
Belshazzar
last Chaldean king of Babylon (Daniel v), from Hebrew Belshatztzar, a contraction of Akkadian Bel-shar-usur, literally "Bel-protect-the-king" (see Bel).
belt (n.)
Old English belt "belt; girdle; broad, flat strip or strap of material used to encircle the waist," from Proto-Germanic *baltjaz (source also of Old High German balz, Old Norse balti, Swedish bälte), an early Germanic borrowing from Latin balteus "girdle, sword belt," which is said by Varro to be an Etruscan word.
The transferred sense of "broad stripe encircling something with its ends joined" is from 1660s; that of "broad strip or tract" of any sort, without notion of encircling (as in Bible belt) is by 1808. As a mark of rank or distinction, mid-14c.; references to boxing championship belts date from 1812. The mechanical sense is from 1795.
Below the belt "unfair" (1889) is from pugilism. To get something under (one's) belt was originally literal, to get it into one's stomach (1839), figurative use of that us by 1931. To tighten (one's) belt "endure privation" is from 1887.
belt (v.)
early 14c., "to fasten or gird with a belt," from belt (n.). The meaning "to thrash as with a belt" is from 1640s; the general sense of "to hit, thrash" is attested from 1838. The colloquial meaning "to sing or speak vigorously" is from 1949. Related: Belted; belting. Hence (from the "thrash with a belt" sense) the noun meaning "a blow or stroke" (1885).
Beltane (n.)
early 15c., from Lowland Scottish, from Gaelic bealltainn "May 1," important Celtic religious rite marking the start of summer, probably literally "blazing fire," from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" + Old Irish ten "fire," from PIE *tepnos, related to Latin tepidus "warm," from PIE root *tep- "to be hot." But this derivation of the second element is hotly disputed by some on philological grounds, and fires were equally important in the other Celtic holidays. Also known as "Old May Day," because after the 1752 calendar reform it continued to be reckoned according to Old Style; it was one of the quarter-days of ancient Scotland.
beltless (adj.)
"without a belt," 1854, from belt (n.) + -less.
beltway (n.)
U.S. term for a ring highway around an urban area, especially Interstate 495 around Washington, D.C., the Capital Beltway, which was completed 1964; from belt (n.) + way (n.). Hence, since c. 1978, it has been used figurative for "Washington, D.C., and its culture," for better or worse.
beluga (n.)
1590s, from Russian beluga, literally "great white," from belo- "white" (from PIE *bhel-o-, suffixed form of root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn," also "shining white") + augmentative suffix -uga. Originally the great white sturgeon, found in the Caspian and Black seas; later (1817) the popular name for the small white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) found in northern seas.
belvedere (n.)
"raised turret or open story atop a house," 1590s, from Italian belvedere, literally "a fair sight," from bel, bello "beautiful" (from Latin bellus "beautiful, fair;" see belle) + vedere "a view, sight" (from PIE root *weid- "to see"). The pronunciation perhaps was influenced by the French form of the word. So called because it was used for viewing the grounds.
Bembo (n.)
type face, 1930; the type was cut in 1929 based on one used in 1496 by Aldus Manutius in an edition of a work by Italian poet and scholar Pietro Bembo.
bemoan (v.)
Middle English bimonen, from late Old English bemænan "to express sorrow for, wail, lament;" see be- + moan (v.). Related: Bemoaned; bemoaning.
bemused (adj.)
1735, past-participle adjective from bemuse (v.). Related: Bemusedly.
bemuse (v.)
"to make utterly confused, put into muse or reverie, muddle, stupefy," from be- + muse (compare amuse); attested from 1735 but probably older, as Pope (1705) punned on it as "devoted utterly to the Muses."
bemusement (n.)
"state of confusion or stupefaction," 1881, from bemuse + -ment.
ben (n.)
"mountain peak" in Celtic place names (especially of roughly pyramidal peaks standing alone), 1788, from Gaelic beinn "peak, summit, mountain," from Old Irish *benno- "peak, horn, conical point" (from PIE *bend- "projecting point").
bench (v.)
"to take out of a (baseball) game," 1902, from bench (n.) in the sporting sense. Earlier it meant "to display (a dog) in a dog show" (1863). Related: Benched; benching. Old English had a verb bencian, but it meant "to make benches."
bench (n.)
Middle English bench, from Old English benc "long seat," especially one without a back, from Proto-Germanic *bankon (source also of Old Frisian bank "bench," Old Norse bekkr, Danish bænk, Middle Dutch banc, Old High German banch). The group is cognate with bank (n.2) "natural earthen incline beside a body of water," and perhaps the original notion is "man-made earthwork used as a seat."
Used from late 14c. of a merchant's table. From c. 1300 in reference to the seat where judges sat in court, hence, by metonymy, "judges collectively, office of a judge." Hence also bencher "senior member of an inn of court" (1580s). The sporting sense "reserve of players" (in baseball, North American football, etc.) is by 1909, from a literal sense in reference to where players sit when not in action (attested by 1889). A bench-warrant (1690s) is one issued by a judge, as opposed to one issued by an ordinary justice or magistrate.
benchmark (n.)
also bench-mark, "surveyor's point of reference," 1838, from a specialized surveyors' use of bench (n.) + mark (n.1); the figurative sense is from 1884. The literal use is in reference to an angle-iron stuck in the ground as a support ("bench") for the leveling-staff.
bench-warmer (n.)
1892, baseball slang; see bench (n.) in the sporting sense.
Old English had bencsittend "one who sits on a bench."
bend (n.1)
1590s, "a bending or curving;" c. 1600, "thing of bent shape, part that is bent;" from bend (v.). The earliest sense is "act of drawing a bow" (mid-15c.). Old English bend (n.) meant "bond, chain, fetter; band, ribbon," but it survives only in nautical use in this form, the other senses having gone to band (n.1). The bends "decompression pain" is attested from 1894.
bended
original past participle of bend (v.), retained after 14c. in certain formal or poetic formulations, especially on bended knee.
bend (n.2)
"broad diagonal band in a coat-of-arms, etc.," mid-14c., from the earlier sense of "thin, flat strap for wrapping round," from Old English bend "fetter, shackle, chain," from PIE *bhendh- "to bind" (see bend (v.)). Probably in part also from Old French bende (Modern French bande) and Medieval Latin benda, both of them from Germanic. Ordinarily running from the right top to the left bottom; the bend sinister runs along the other diagonal.
bend (v.)
Old English bendan "to bend a bow, bring into a curved state; confine with a string, fetter," causative of bindan "to bind," from Proto-Germanic base *band- "string, band" (source also of Old Norse benda "to join, strain, strive, bend"), from PIE root *bhendh- "to bind."
The meaning "curve or make crooked" (early 14c.) is via the notion of bending a bow to string it. The intransitive sense of "become curved or crooked" is from late 14c., that of "incline, turn from the straight line" is from 1510s. The figurative meaning "bow, be submissive" is from c. 1400. Cognate with band, bind, bond, and Bund. Related: Bended; bent; bending.
bendable (adj.)
"flexible, capable of being bent," 1610s, from bend (v.) + -able.
benday
also Ben-Day, by 1905, a printing and photoengraving technique involving overlay sheets of small dots or lines, used to create shadow effect, etc., named for U.S. printer and illustrator Benjamin Day Jr., who developed it c. 1879.
bender (n.)
late 15c., "instrument for bending," agent noun from bend (v.). Slang meaning "drinking bout" is American English, attested from 1846, perhaps from the Scottish sense of "a hard drinker" (1728). Perhaps from the verb in the figurative sense of "strain, brace, wind up." Other slang senses included "a sixpence" (1836) "( ? Because it bends easily.)" [OED]; "a leg" (U.S., 1849).
bene-
sometimes beni-, word-forming element meaning "well," from Latin bene (adv.) "well, in the right way, honorably, properly," from PIE *dwenelo-, suffixed (adverbial) form of root *deu- (2) "to do, perform; show favor, revere." Opposed to mal-. From the same source come Latin bonus "good," bellus "handsome, fine, pretty," and possibly beatus "blessed," beare "to make blessed."
beneath (adv., prep.)
Middle English binethe, from Old English beneoðan "under, below, in a lower place, further down than," in late Old English "lower in rank, degree, excellence, etc.," from be- "by" + neoðan "below, down, from below," from Proto-Germanic *niþar "lower, farther down, down" (see nether).
The meaning "unworthy of" is attested from 1849 (purists prefer below in this sense). "The be- gave or emphasized the notion of 'where,' excluding that of 'whence' pertaining to the simple niðan" [OED].
benedict (n.)
"newly married man" (especially one who had seemed a confirmed bachelor), 1821, from the character Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing" (1599). The name is from Late Latin Benedictus, literally "blessed," from Latin benedicte "bless (you)" (see benediction). This also produced the proper name and surname Bennet; hence also benet (late 14c.), the third of the four lesser orders of the Roman Catholic Church, one of whose functions was to exorcize spirits.
benediction (n.)
"act of speaking well of or blessing; invocation of divine blessing," c. 1400, benediccioun, from Late Latin benedictionem (nominative benedictio), "a blessing," noun of action from benedicere (in classical Latin two words, bene dicere) "to speak well of, bless," from bene "well" (from PIE root *deu- (2) "to do, perform; show favor, revere") + dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly").
The oldest sense in English is of grace before meat. French re-Latinized its form of the word in 16c.; the older French form, beneiçon passed into Middle English as benison.